


Fear

by IreneClaire



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-21 22:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 57,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/602863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IreneClaire/pseuds/IreneClaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny's response to what the Aloha Girl's troop leader shared with him about Grace believing he was brave, bugged me. I guess it was a normal 'dad thing'. He was pleased but then not super convinced since he has so much to deal with. And it was compounded later with Grace's own cute words to him when she said he could do anything too. He obviously didn't believe it deep down; and to me, might fear that he might eventually let her down one day. So, this is a bit of teenie angsty, whumpy drivel type of story where Danny is hopefully shown how wrong he is. It may or may not work well but I'm giving it a go! </p>
<p>And the Christopher Robbin to Winnie the Pooh quote was the muse's catalyst. So I hope this all makes sense as it unfolds. "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." ― A.A. Milne</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

**Chapter One**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Steve had argued, very irritably at the young doctor's suggestion. He had been standing in the middle of the ER cradling his hand which was wrapped in a blood soaked towel and angrily watching the doors through which Danny had just disappeared. The young doctor had continued talking as he gently but firmly guided Steve to a nearby room and then _tsked_ over the still sluggishly bleeding slash. It was deep and long, beginning from the fleshy part of his palm and arching downwards into this wrist. The doctor's wry smile widened as he gained ground with the obviously very upset Five-0 commander who finally realized that he was in fact, injured.

"How did this happen?" The commander frowned as if seeing the wound again for the first time and then winced as the doctor removed more of the towel that was wetly sticking to his palm.

"Slipped in a stairwell when the metal railing gave way." Steve had barely recognized his rough voice and he was watching the doctor examine the wound with a completely detached expression. He seemed loud and abrasive even to his own ears as he briefly detailed what had happened.

"The railing was rusted. Old. It just gave out. Sliced right through my hand."

But Steve had only been half-listening and had barely answered the doctor's questions. He had been anxiously watching the direction from where he last saw Danny taken by gurney and still unconscious. Bruised and bloodied himself from the unexpected accident; looking so much worse than what Steve had done to his own hand.

On top of everything that had just happened, the past month of Danny's life had also begun to unravel. Steve's thoughts now turned to Danny's recent one-sided conversations where he only asked that Steve listen. The not so quiet and much too sarcastic conversations that ended with Danny beating himself up in one way or another over the custody battle or lost time with Grace or now, fearful _'what if'_ scenarios based on their case-work. And whatever the topic of discussion, it inevitably led back to a larger than life multi-tentacled monster that would squash his chances for Grace in the custody action.

Steve lifted his newly stitched and bandaged right hand and winced as he mistakenly flexed his fingers. With a disgusted sound, he changed to use his left hand to rub his face from the exhaustion he felt creeping in with a vengeance. While it certainly wasn't true, Steve worried that this accident would only fuel Danny's self-deprecating attitude. He'd been on a personal collision course since the custody battle began and it had only been made worse by the prior month's terrorism cell. The Aloha Girl's camping trip had been the icing on the cake and Danny had slowly begun to implode from the stresses heaped on his exhausted shoulders.

A noise drew his attention from the double doors and Steve bolted to his feet as a nurse came striding out from the surgical area, but she only gave him an apologetic smile. It wasn't for him .. it wasn't about Danny. And Steve collapsed again into the uncomfortable chair as he dismally watched her give an update to an elderly man. He vaguely noted that the news must have been good based on the man's happy reaction but that only made Steve bite back a frown.

After a few minutes passed by, Steve looked at the clock for the hundredth time, slouched down in the chair and extended his legs. He forced himself to close his eyes and at least give the appearance of being relaxed as he listened to the white noise humming busily around him.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

**Chapter Two**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

A new sound outside the more common, steady white noise stirred Steve from his dark thoughts and he opened his eyes to find a nurse standing over him.

"Danny Williams?" He blurted out as he struggled to his feet, hissing as he banged his bandaged right hand on the arm of the plastic chair.

The nurse handed him a folded t-shirt as she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I haven't heard anything yet, but I wanted to at least give you a clean shirt to change into." Steve smothered a spike of annoyance but not the unhappy frown.

"Thanks." He muttered before looking down at himself. The shirt he was wearing was stained with both his and Danny's blood. Plus a great deal of dirt and grime from the construction site. The historical building was being heavily renovated and the accident had happened in an area barely yet touched by the design architect or the construction crew hired for the large project. His tumble down the rotted staircase and subsequent tackle of their suspect spelled "trash" for what he was currently wearing. Besides reeking of his own sweat, stale blood and filth from the ages old building it was also ripped up the side. In short, Steve hadn't realized that he was a complete mess.

But he was worried about Danny and another aggravated glance towards the wall clock showed that he'd been waiting nearly three hours. "Why is it taking so long to get an update? I need to know how my partner is."

The woman pointed towards the bathroom before making a bee-line back to the ward. "While you freshen up, I'll find out."

True to her word, she met him back in the waiting room and Steve wound up sitting with his head virtually hanging between his knees. His stitched and neatly bandaged right hand rested on his knee, palm up. He was taking in deep breaths through his nose and pushing them out through his mouth in an effort to control his own fear. Beating it back soundly after learning that Danny had a severe laceration to his scalp that required multiple stitches to close, a bad concussion, that his arm was fractured in two places plus he had sustained one broken rib that had merely nicked his lung.

"Merely?" He whispered in disbelief as the the nurse shared the news. But she had also returned with the doctor in tow and he explained that they'd had challenges stabilizing Danny's vitals after setting his arm and repairing the minor damage to his lung. By then, the nurse had disappeared leaving the doctor to finish filling Steve in on Danny's condition.

"He's lucky and will recover with time. Based on what you described, it could have been much worse. He's still unconscious, but should be coming around soon. Once we get him settled in a room, we'll let you know and you can see him."

Steve couldn't get the picture of Danny falling out of his head. The doctor was right in that he was actually lucky. Time had briefly stood still, hands at reached out to his partner in a vain attempt to save him before the ancient spiral staircase collapsed. No one could reach him and Danny had fallen to become trapped within the twisted metal. Before he could begin to dwell again, Steve was beckoned out of the waiting room just a short time later and he shuffled slowly into the room to stand quietly over the bed. Danny's arm was in a cast and his chest was likely taped under the heavy blankets. He was shivering, restless and also sporting an impressive bandage around his head. Steve was surprised to see new bruising beginning to peek out from under his eye socket and running down to his cheekbone. He hesitated, but then wound up tracing the bandage with a finger to then let his knuckles whisper across the impressive discoloration.

"What's this?" Steve asked the nurse softly.

"That's normal. Bruising from the blunt force and edema. But nothing's broken there." Steve was now talking to a different nurse. A much older woman with graying hair that held a distinct air of authority. She was busily fixing the fluids and antibiotic drips running into Danny's arm.

"His blood pressure is still on the low side. We're keeping him warm, though he should wake up soon." She smiled down at her patient and then was complimentary. "But he's strong .. and sounds like more than just a little brave based on what we're all hearing."

Steve narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her comment. "I don't understand."

"Rumor is that he's a hero. The EMT's said he saved a child – they were going on about it downstairs. I guess the construction foreman was the one your partner handed the baby off to. He said that he'd never seen anyone so calm in his life. Said that he knew exactly what to do and how to do it; never once worried about himself before making sure even the construction guys were safe."

Steve snorted as he studied Danny's much too pale face which was as white as the bandages around his forehead and temple. Danny was restless and seemed uncomfortable as his head tossed briefly on the pillow. Steve automatically shushed him as he leaned forward to gently tuck the blankets around Danny's neck and shoulders.

"He would certainly tell you otherwise." Steve breathed out quietly as he smoothed the sheet up to Danny's chest.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Days before, Danny had told Steve about the comment Madeline, the Aloha Girl's Scout leader, had made during the camping weekend. It was actually Grace's comment shared by the gregarious Scout leader. But it had surprised him, caught him completely off guard and then had niggled at his brain every day since. At first Steve had been very amused and thought it rather adorable.

_She does this because she wants to be brave like you._

And then Grace herself, so innocently chiming in later with all the trust in the world.

_You can do anything._

" _That's all kinda cute, don't you think_?" Steve was grinning good-naturedly with his eyes sparkling, but Danny had only made a grumpy face and then turned his head to stare blindly out the car window. The silence lasted for just so long before Danny's temper kicked in and he disgustedly disagreed with the observation.

" _I knew I shouldn't have said anything._ " There was a serious edge to his tone and Steve sobered instantly. With prodding, he eventually figured out that Danny had built up a simple and very complimentary part of conversation into a mammoth-sized responsibility that he felt obligated to meet. Danny had been floored and then had taken everything completely to heart; mentally expounding on Grace's blind trust and belief in him until the sheer responsibility of that conviction had overwhelmed him.

It had then taken a full week after the camping trip for Danny to realize that he was miserably failing in beating back the demons and he'd finally called Steve to talk. Something he couldn't ever remember doing before – asking for help - at least, not like this. So after many nights of lost sleep, upset stomachs, and a multitude of missed meals stemming originally from the situation with Hasan Fahdi and the terrorist cell, Danny had made that desperate call and then gone over to the beach house.

Steve had casually handed him a beer and then followed him outside in silence. Easily reading but not completely understanding the agitation in the hunched shoulders and wan face. Agitation that had peaked to an all new high. Regardless, Steve was thankful that Danny had been the one to call first. He had patiently allowed him to just talk and the words had come out in a rush beginning with those things he thought that he had overcome and moved past. He had startled Steve by bringing up the unfortunate excitement over the new baby – a child that was first going to be his and then by some obscene error on a calendar, was then deemed ' _not'_.

" _And then who does what I did, Steven? Who?_ " Steve knew he was referring to the actual birth because Danny was right, another man probably would not have done what he did for an ex-wife. But Danny of course, had. It wasn't fair and Steve was at a loss for words. That bitter remembrance sparked an immediate change and Danny had completely waffled. He had loudly plunked the beer bottle down on the table, had started apologizing, and was already half-way back through the house to leave the way he'd come in.

" _I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here … none of this is your problem. I didn't even mean to bring that up."_ The parting shot had actually annoyed Steve and he'd been determined in steering Danny back outside towards the chairs.

" _Oh no - no. I want you to get all of this off your chest. We need to talk._ " Steve had assumed they'd be hashing out the Fahdi scare or even the camping trip again. But he was recovering quickly and realizing that what Danny needed was so much more deeply ingrained. He had physically pushed Danny into a chair, thrust his bottle back into his hand, and then settled next to him.

" _Consider this the beer we promised each other that day_." And then he'd softened his voice and meaningfully pointed the neck of his beer bottle towards Danny.

" _I'm glad you called. Really. So let's talk this out Danno. All of it. Whatever's bothering you. I want to help._ "

Since the terrorist scare with Hasan Fahdi, the two hadn't had much time to reflect or decompress either alone or together. They needed to and should have simply made the time. But as things often went, there had been other distractions and many reasons why that had never happened. However, everyone in their _Ohana_ had noticed Danny's distracted behavior … the fact that he was not quite himself, a bit more rumpled, moody and more care-worn each day.

Steve's gentle persistence which forced Danny to stay and talk, finally won out and Danny hesitantly started over. By his third beer, his voice had fallen to almost a whisper as he came full circle back to what Grace had so smartly and proudly shared.

" _So tell me Steve, what happens when Grace finds out that I'm not brave or able to do anything? That I'm not any of these things."_

Steve could feel the tension in the air as Danny rambled. The almost confusing collection of words added up to one very critical message: Danny was _afraid_ and that fear focused on what he felt was a complete loss of control over his life.

_Borrowed time – never his to have and hold – borrowed and not his right to truly own._

For both of them, fear had been center stage that day with Fahdi and the suicide bomb vest. So much fear thrumming back and forth between them. Danny had barely been able to speak and Steve had used all his training to muscle through the fear for both them; to keep them both sane while the bomb expert focused on disarming it. They both knew that if Steve hadn't forced Danny to talk, he would have missed his evening with Grace and then so much more. His perceived clock would have run out of time. So Danny had barely been able to breathe, let alone think and the last thing he had wanted to do was actually talk. But through speech, Steve had forced him to remain calm and completely still. The bomb had been disarmed and he'd been free to go.

_Free to go. Another day on the earth. More borrowed time. Begged, borrowed or stolen. It was found again and then preciously hoarded away for safe-keeping._

But since that day, Danny's thoughts had become filled with dangerous and paralyzing fearful ' _what if_ ' snippets in time. Only made worse by Grace's unwavering love and trust.

" ' _What if_ ' Rachel's baby had been my son?"

" ' _What if_ ' I lose custody and the Edwards move State-side?"

" ' _What if_ ' the bomb had detonated?" This was followed quickly by a stunned choked sob because Steve had refused to leave him. "And you, ' _what if_ ' it had happened while you were standing there too? You shouldn't have stayed."

Steve had felt a brief moment of his own anger to interrupt that emotional outburst and Danny had managed a brief nod. " _Leaving wasn't an option Daniel. I thought we put that one to bed a long time ago."_

And then Danny had continued in a whisper that was growing more broken and laced with sarcasm by the second.

" ' _What if_ Ron had really gone berserk and I'd been killed in front of Grace on the camping trip?"

" ' _What if_ Ron or that felon, Hines had hurt or even had killed you and Lucy in the jungle?" And then just plan ' _what if_ ''? Danny had begun to second guess everything and play vicious negative scenarios around in his head. His brother Mattie had come up and things had worsened.

Later that evening, he'd started to lose it again on the beach. The shared case of beer had the opposite effect and instead of calming him, the alcohol had made Danny more jittery and on edge; more emotionally volatile. The sharp laugh had quickly become a frenetically sobbed sound that Steve recognized immediately from the near hysteria experienced after the bombing incident. But where that sound had been laced with relief, this version was plagued with something else. Danny was on that brink again that very minute and Steve feared this new uncontrollable sound.

And then Danny couldn't stop as the crazy bubble rose in his chest and tears welled up in his eyes. His throat began to constrict and he was clenching the beer bottle so hard, his knuckles had gone completely white. Sweating profusely and talking so very quickly that he was stumbling over his words. He'd become worked up and had abruptly gotten to his feet, hands waving in an overly animated state as he made his many points. At first, Steve couldn't help the gentle smile. There was nothing _borrowed_ about his friend; Danny would always be uniquely himself.

" _And I'm going to lose her anyway. Alive or dead … right? Isn't this exactly what's happening? Like Mattie. On the job or with through this custody battle with Rachel."_

Danny's sharp troublesome laugh burst forth again. His eyes were glistening at another stray thought that quickly became a stunning revelation for him. Steve immediately lost the soft grin and put his hand on Danny's tense shoulder.

" _Or ironically, even a little girl's camping trip. I can lose her during an Aloha Girl's ridiculous camping trip."_ Danny's voice became hard and sarcastic as he failed at stifling a harsh throaty cough. _"And I can't do everything like Grace expects me to. I just can't and I'm going to let her down_. _But it doesn't matter because it's all the same. It's just the same borrowed time under a different name and a different face._ "

And if Danny lost his parental rights, it would give an unfortunate credence to some of what he was saying; it would prove his self-fulfilling prophecy. But Danny needed to stop. He needed to calm down as he paled and began to laugh harder with a sporadic, choked heaving sound. Beer spilled out of the bottle and without thinking, he tried to walk away down the beach and Steve had bolted after him in surprise.

He fought Steve at first. Resisted the settling embrace. He resisted what he willingly gave to everyone else but so rarely accepted in return. But Steve quietly persisted, pulling and holding him like he'd held Lucy in the jungle. And Danny was shaking as the sobs racked his body and the bottle fell to the sand. Steve could feel the fear of his loss, the heavy load of too many expectations, the complete exhaustion and the overwhelming volume of pent up emotions.

" _You can't do it all. And you don't give yourself enough credit_." Steve murmured to him soothingly. The pile heaped on his friend had grown exponentially and not once had he complained until that moment. Stronger than he realized and more stoic than he needed to be. But he was finally at a terrible tipping point and slowly going over a very fearful edge.

" _I said it once before and it's true .. you're too sensitive. And I should have helped before this. I'm sorry Danny. You also don't give yourself enough damned credit for anything."_

Steve hadn't been able to entirely convince Danny that night about not taking so much to heart. He had helped by listening and offering what comfort he could; in fact, Danny had eventually tried to smile and expressed his thanks. Steve had insisted that he stay the night and Danny had slept dead to the world for twelve uninterrupted hours. However, it was easy to see that he was still very much depressed.

And then another blow had rained down on him, just a short week before Christmas. Generous to a fault – Danny had agreed to let Rachel take Grace away for the holiday. Steve was perplexed and then angry at Danny for even allowing it.

" _Why would you do that? Why would you even suggest it?_ " Steve hadn't meant to be critical, but he didn't understand. He did see though that Danny was even more furious with himself and it was too late; the damage was already done.

" _I'm tired of fighting. I didn't want to fight before Christmas. Not in front of Grace._ " The excuses were poor and they counted only as another loss; a good-will gesture that back-fired on a much too kind-hearted person. Danny gave generously and Rachel took eagerly … in protecting everyone else, Danny seemed to always pay the price and then was always the one made to suffer.

That had been three days ago and Steve had virtually become Danny's most annoying shadow. Making sure Danny ate regularly, demanding to know how he'd slept the previous night and constantly asking if he needed to talk. Of course, everything was fine and he was now officially tired of talking. But the dark smudges under his eyes and his snappish temper told the real truth. Talking to Steve had helped, but Danny was still trying to deal with the demons and not faring very well.

And now at nearly the end of this fourth day, there had been an accident of sorts directly related to their latest high profile case. Four instances of arson reported in a month's time - all occurring on historical properties that were being reconstructed and repurposed as luxury apartments or condos. Two construction workers had been injured in the last two separate fiery incidences and so, this case had become a priority. The arsonist had grown more daring and callous; not caring if his targeted construction site was occupied or not.

A small renovation burned to the ground on Maui so his or her circle of operation was also expanding; unless of course it was a copycat. With Grace out of town, Danny had thrown himself completely into his job. Working late, arriving early and chasing down every potential lead on this newest case. He had quickly become the expert on all of its facts, seemingly everywhere at each turn and Steve allowed it since Danny seemed to need the focus.

In making a long story very short, hundreds of thousands of dollars in damaged property and two near fatalities had brought this to the top of their list. The community of construction workers had banded together and brought their fearful concerns to HPD. Fingers were pointed, threats were made, and innocent people were blamed. Sketchy information was provided about possible suspects; but most was discarded after following through on each potential lead. More money was lost as sites were abandoned and workers didn't show up for their jobs. Projects were put on hold and hourly 'rent a cops' were hired by some property owners to protect their assets.

Just a few hours earlier, Steve and Danny had left work early in separate vehicles. Danny insistent that he'd have a real dinner, not return to the office, and get some sorely needed rest. But on a hunch, he had passed a particular construction site and wound up calling Steve to meet him. The two had then investigated a lone pickup truck with what looked like possible arson supplies in its extended cab. Danny's hunch had been correct. One thing had let do another and now this long work day had fast become an interminable night of worry.

Steve exhaled loudly as he pulled up a chair to sit by Danny's hospital bed. The nurse had finally left after adding another warming blanket. He was exhausted and his hand was aching, but Danny still hadn't woken. The nurse had seemed unhappy and then made a note on his charts. A few short minutes later, Steve wound up shushing him again as Danny mumbled something incoherently and then furrowed his brow as if in pain. But he eventually quieted and then calmed though his eyes remained stubbornly closed.

"I guess you don't feel like waking up yet, huh Danno?" Steve whispered as his left hand found Danny's much too cold fingers. Running them between his own, Steve simply began to wait.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

**Chapter Three**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

It was after two a.m. in the morning and Steve was in the corridor speaking to Kono about Danny and then listening to her exciting news related to the homeless teenager and her child. There was actually going to be an unexpected happy ending to that particular story.

" _Annabel Reynolds is nineteen and has been listed as a missing person for the last eight months. He parents are in California and are anxious for her to come home. She left college to follow a surfer against their wishes. She and her parents had a fight .. they panicked when her calls just ended. But from her side, Annabel got pregnant ...the surfer up and left her high and dry. Annabel assumed her parents wouldn't want her back with a baby. But they do .. they've already paid for her tickets to come home_."

But Kono's excitement was severely tempered by her concern for Danny and he could tell by her voice that she was talking fast now for another reason. " _So they're fine and Chin's making sure every single charge sticks to the arsonist. But he's having trouble with the Maui fire and establishing that link_."

Steve had insisted on a brief update after sharing what he knew about Danny, but Kono needed more. So she finished with a loud suffering sigh and Steve chuffed a knowing sound; he almost guessed her next words. " _But Danny's not awake yet? That's not sounding good boss .. especially if the doctors all thought he should have come out of it by now_."

"Yeah, I know." Steve was frustrated by only being able to watch every minute pass on the clock. Other than being restless, Danny had yet to fully awaken. There was a near constant revolving door of nurses and doctors as they checked and rechecked his vitals. The professionals were all scratching their heads and the latest suggestion was to run a second battery of MRI tests if their patient didn't wake soon.

He checked his watch and saw that it was nearing two-thirty now. Before Kono could say another word, Steve interrupted her. "It's late and there's no change here. Why don't you and Chin come early in the morning. If something happens before then, I'll call."

The disgusted sound of absolutely _nothing_ greeted his suggestion and he grimaced. "Come early. With coffee?" Steve hadn't meant to sound so plaintive but Kono still wasn't speaking which could only mean one thing, and he was fast becoming uncomfortable.

"Ah .. Kono? Morning is just a few hours away ...one or two of us should get some decent rest. And .. coffee." Steve hadn't exactly intended to say that either, but it was true. He certainly wasn't planning to get any sleep until Danny opened his eyes and there was no reason for both Kono and Chin to run themselves ragged too. Which they already had been doing based on Kono's news regarding Annabel Reynolds and what Chin was managing in making sure the arson charges stuck like glue to Marty Fogarty.

" _Fine. We'll see you early .. around seven or so. With .. coffee."_ The aggrieved tone was unmistakable as was the implicit demand in her parting remark. " _You will call if something happens_."

"I will." Steve was adamant. And by then the information about Annabel Reynolds had sunken into his distracted brain and he allowed himself a soft smile.

"By the way, that was fantastic news about the Reynolds family. Great work in tracking them down. Danny will be happy to hear it when he wakes up."

There was a soft pleased chuckle and Steve cocked his head with a curious expression as the call ended. " _He'll like the baby's name too."_

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

He stood back impatiently as the doctor rechecked Danny's most current readings. Another time check showed it to now be three-thirty in the morning and though Danny had continued to show signs of waking, he was still unconscious and Steve could sense the rising concern.

"Your friend certainly is bull-headed." The doctor had rudely knuckled Danny's sternum and had begun to speak his name loudly in an attempt to rouse him fully. "Enough is enough though and he needs to wake up for us."

Steve made a face as the doctor rubbed Danny's sternum quite hard for a second time. From experience, Steve knew how much that could hurt but it certainly would work on bringing someone around when all else failed. And this time it did - though his eyes at first stayed closed, Danny finally mumbled a weak complaint as his hand rose up to object the rough treatment.

"That's better." The man remarked dryly to himself and then spoke directly to his patient. "Detective. Let's see those eyes please. Do you know where you are?"

A few seconds later, Danny was blearily looking up the doctor and slowly responding correctly to the few, brief standard questions. He eventually stood back with a satisfied smile and Steve visibly relaxed as he took the man's place. But Steve could tell that Danny was still very confused, as if trying to remember something important and he easily guessed the reason.

"You were out a long time Danno." Steve commented quietly but the relief in his voice was evident. "Too long. But the baby .. he's okay." Danny's eyes cleared when Steve rightly solved the problem.

"Good." Danny breathed out softly. "Little guy." Steve grinned at the simple description for the baby had been small, maybe only four months old with absolutely no say in where his teenage mother decided to squat. Her decision to camp in a run-down, construction site had been a poor one indeed; however it made some sense with her back-story. And the fact that she did have a loving family that wanted her back, was a happy miracle.

He would have said more, but Steve could tell that Danny was drained after the short exchange as his eyes started to drift closed. He nervously glanced towards the doctor who was yet again checking Danny's blood pressure. After removing his stethoscope, he nodded and adjusted one of the I.V. drips.

"Yes, he's better now. He can sleep." Steve sat with a soft thump in the hard plastic chair. Both the air in his lungs and the overwhelming stress level in the room evaporated in an instant; things were _better_ now that Danny had finally woken.

"Thanks, doc." The doctor smiled at the tired mumble and left the room to complete other rounds. Steve pulled out his cell phone and sent a short text to Kono and Chin as promised and then slouched down in a weary heap. That lasted all of five seconds as Danny jerked upwards and gasped in alarm.

"Hey! Danno .. what's this about?" Steve stumbled to his feet as Danny's eyes flew open. The last thing Danny remembered was handing the baby off to a construction worker, but his body remembered something else entirely. The sensation felt real as his muscles tensed and then shuddered in a remembered panic from a now false sense of falling. He unconsciously clung to the blankets with one fist while the fingers of his casted hand flexed painfully to grab at nothing.

"What hurts?" He was breathing hard as Steve untangled his tense fingers from where they balled up the bedding. "What do you need?" Steve was worried and about to hit the call button until Danny shook his head.

"I fell." Danny forced out in a harsh whisper. He had a splintered memory of a loud screeching sound and of being suspended in mid-air. A feeling of helplessness, followed by an eerie silence, a terrible uncontrolled sense of falling, and then a stunningly violent blow that rocked his entire body. Steve nodded as he felt Danny's nervous grip tighten around his hand and he shuddered again.

And now his voice was tinged with astonishment as he repeated himself, "I fell."

"That you did. But you were lucky and you're going to be fine." The simple explanation was almost enough to settle Danny. The remembered feelings were strong and he was uneasy, but he went to sleep a short time later. Taking up his bedside station again, Steve was finally more calm as he tried to get comfortable. He looked up briefly as the same, older nurse entered the room for another night-check. She took time to tuck blankets around his partner and then hesitated before leaving.

"So you know .. I think you're going to hear more from that foreman. He just called the nurse's station to check on the Detective's condition. A lot of his people could have been in danger today. He's genuinely devastated by not being able to have reached your friend in time."

"He did everything he could." Steve remarked with a genuine appreciation. He had been too far away, but the one construction worker that Danny had first handed the baby to, had quickly turned back up the spiral staircase. He'd handed the child to a co-worker and then, risking his own safety, had valiantly tried to reach for Danny himself. But their straining hands had just missed each other - close, but not close enough - there had been a horrific metallic screech as the structure wobbled threateningly. Danny had shouted for the team to get away and then his own men had yanked the foreman backwards to safety. Not that it mattered per se, but Steve hadn't known that the first man was the actual foreman; everyone simply had been working together.

But Danny had used his hunches correctly to bring the arsonist to justice. And in doing that, he saved a number of workers; plus the most unexpected rescue of the mother and her baby. Thinking back to the arguments and fear shared between the unionized construction workers and the property owners, what they accomplished that day would put the entire case to rest. People on both sides of the issue could get back to work and resume a happy normalcy all because of Danny's dedication. A young mother and her baby had been saved from tragedy and would find love in being returned to an anxious family.

The nurse checked her watch and then gauged Steve's mood before asking him. He smiled up at her as she draped a blanket around his own legs and then pulled up a second chair.

"What exactly happened though?"

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Notes: Happy holidays!
> 
> "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." 
> 
> ― A.A. Milne

**Chapter Four**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Steve stretched in the uncomfortable chair and then rested his right hand gently in his lap under the soft blanket. Danny was sleeping soundly and his face which had been lined with both pain and unease, had finally smoothed. With nothing more to do, Steve quietly began to relate the day's remarkable events.

They had all just left the offices for the day; Danny in his own car and Steve by truck after he had lost a short verbal skirmish to have Danny join him for dinner. But then Danny had called minutes later, interrupting Steve's happy remark that he must have changed his mind about coming over.

Instead, Danny had ignored Steve and curtly explained that he had called because he believed that he had spied their target. Actually, the suspect's possible vehicle of choice; a pickup truck matching the description of one seen near the most recent of blazes. He was stopped at a traffic light across from a half deserted factory warehouse that, like the other targets, was being gutted and turned into an exclusive luxury condo community. What Danny pegged was an old, gray, dilapidated pickup truck seemingly owned by one of the on site construction workers. A practiced eye could see that it was parked too remotely away from the main site, so Danny had been immediately leery. He had parked near the truck and then found what looked like arson supplies in the bed and the backseat of the extended cab. He had made his call and then waited for Steve to arrive. They had entered together, waving off the construction workers that were still working on the east end of the old building. But then silently tracking one solitary hard-hatted man to the unoccupied west side where they watched him carefully prepare to set another blaze that would foul the plans to improve and renovate the ancient property.

"So he knew then." The nurse interrupted. Steve grinned and nodded. "He knew and he was one hundred percent right. But neither one of us had counted on the Reynolds girl and the baby."

Danny had quietly cursed and gestured wildly to get Steve's attention. He had pointed up to the teenage mother that was holding a child above them on what would some day be a beautiful inner balcony. Two floors up and looking down in fear at the arsonist, it was obvious that she'd been squatting illegally with her baby and would be trapped if he succeeded in setting the fire. Her shocked gasp and the baby's small wail had drawn the arsonist's attention up as well and then he'd panicked with a potential witness.

His panic had escalated when Steve's authoritative shouts identifying themselves as Five-0 rang through the space. Instead of doing as he'd been told, the man had ignited the roadside flare and dropped it before trying to escape down an old spiral staircase. The flare landed in a trail of gasoline that led to two gas cans placed near a stack of much too dry wood pilings. Within seconds, flames had run crazily to the cans and the small dual explosion created red-hot fragments that rained fire down around them to ignite other much too dry wood in the old building.

And then neither man tried to put out the main fire or even the smaller ones. Without hesitation, Steve had zeroed in on the arsonist and had chased the man down from that floor. But the railing in the old stairwell had crumpled and that's where Steve had cut himself so badly before tackling the criminal in a sprawling leap.

And then Danny had instinctively gone high. Negotiating the upper half of the crumbling spiral staircase and then climbing a short ladder to the upper floors to wind his way towards the trapped young mother and her baby. The smell of smoke, sharp blast and the commotion had attracted the construction workers from the other end of the work site; three with fire extinguishers who quickly worked to control the fire and stop it from spreading. And then at least eight more that worked as an assembly line to help Danny get both mother and child to safety.

By the time Steve had secured their suspect, Danny had taken the baby into his own arms and sent the mother ahead first. She'd quickly descended the ladder and had carefully made her way down the broken stairwell that was beginning to tremble in earnest from over-use. The construction workers had eased her physically into their arms over the worst of the damaged stairs to get her to firm ground. She was waiting anxiously for the baby with wide, frightened eyes.

Danny had tucked the little boy into his shoulder and one-handed, had fairly easily made it down the short ladder. But the accident happened as Danny put one foot on the first rusted metal step of the staircase. The top step had immediately fallen away and he'd pitched uncontrollably forward, banging his head and then rolling onto his shoulder to keep the baby safe. The small landing at the apex of the spiral had stopped part of his fall, but then broke partially off its frame. The break made him slide down a few more steps on his back, scraping his shoulders raw in the process. When he stopped moving, he was stranded on his back and almost upside down with his legs sprawled up the spiral. The baby though, had never left his arms. However he too, was resting nearly upside down with his head just under Danny's collar-bone and beginning to tearily miss his mother.

The spiral staircase had started to vibrate as the metal struts began to separate from where they were anchored into the wall. He then had been unable to get up before the loud screech had sounded through the building bringing everyone up short in horror.

The nurse paled as Steve explained how the staircase began to shake and he glanced over where Danny now lay sleeping. He shrugged helplessly at the memory and rubbed the bandage on his own hand. "He couldn't get up in time, but he tried."

With no choice, Danny twisted his body into a half seated position and then had determinedly focused on yelling orders to the nearest workers as Steve joined the group at the foot of the stairs. They all watched powerless to help as Danny methodically anchored himself with his legs around part of the crumbling railings struts. He then purposefully handed the child down to the first construction worker. That man was the actual foreman and he was on the same staircase, but at least six steps below Danny on the next curve and much closer to the main floor. He then passed the baby to another worker and yet to another. Applause had echoed through the building when the little boy was safely returned to his mother's arms, but Danny had been unable to save himself as another screech sounded and the entire staircase broke free from the wall.

The last thing Steve heard was Danny shouting more orders to the construction workers. " _Back off. Get out of there_!"

"So, he was practically upside down and still managed to get the baby down to the foreman?" The nurse was incredulous about how hard that must have been. Steve could only nod since what happened next was short of catastrophic and she had to wait a few minutes for him to collect his thoughts before being able to continue.

"Yeah, the baby didn't have a scratch on him either. But then he couldn't reach Danny."

"The foreman again." The nurse murmured quietly. "They are both quite heroic."

Steve slowly explained that there had been a sickening shudder and a moment in time when the spiral staircase seemed to balance on end. A split second of time when the foreman slipped to a knee but had still vainly lurched forward in an effort to grab for Danny's hand. But he missed and another crew member yanked him backwards by his belt to drag him off the failing structure. And then it screeched with a deafening roar and simply toppled like a ponderous giant; pinning and trapping Danny under a mess of bricks and twisted metal.

The resulting head injury was severe just based upon blood loss alone. Steve had managed to reach him on his stomach after pulling on pieces of metal and digging through debris to make room through a small hole between the metal struts. His own hand had been completely forgotten and was bleeding quite badly by then, but Steve hadn't even noticed in his haste to reach Danny.

In fact, Steve had only responded to a shout from behind him where a clean towel was thrust into his outstretched hand and he'd used it in an attempt to stem the flow of blood running freely from Danny's temple. Work around them was soon in a frenzy as the construction workers used acetylene blowtorches and their bare hands to free the Detective.

He'd been half conscious, eyes partly opened and lying on his side with his left arm trapped under his body. The position of his arm under his ribcage seemed to be making it difficult for him to breathe. But his right hand had weakly extended to grip Steve's right wrist.

The nurse grimaced in sympathy before widening her eyes in realization and Steve snorted sarcastically. "Uh yeah, that hurt." He remembered nearly gasping in his own pain as Danny connected with the deep gash. Steve stopped talking then and closed his eyes wearily. His hand was beginning to ache again and he could feel some puffiness around his fingers. Seconds later, the nurse got to her feet with an apology and she leaned over to make sure the blanket was still tucked in around Steve's lap.

"I'll bring you some pain medication." She was kind and deeply impressed by the story. When she returned, she brought not only the medication but also bottled water and a light snack for Steve. He was pleasantly surprised when an orderly wheeled in a cot and made room in the corner of the small hospital room. The nurse then silently pointed to the bed where she'd laid out more blankets.

"Meds. Get some sleep. You two definitely deserve it." She whispered before leaving the room.

Steve sighed and closed his eyes as he tried to get comfortable in the chair. He was still dwelling on the rest of the upsetting story and he ran the sequence of events through his head. Danny had been severely rattled but was still semi-conscious. His first and only words had to do with concern for the little boy.

" _Baby_?" Danny had mumbled, forehead pinched in pain with eyes that threatened to slide shut from the jarring tumble. His face was bloody and now streaked with dirt and grime. He was also trying to move and Steve had to work at calming him.

" _He's fine. Don't move! I don't know how you just did that._ " Steve had been anxious and almost breathless as he tried to assess Danny's injuries. He'd watched from below fully unable to help as the spiral staircase detached itself from the wall and collapsed inward. But before then, Danny hadn't lost his cool or his game plan. Shouting instructions and gently cradling the baby, he'd made time stand still long enough to get the baby to safety.

A voice and strong pressure on his ankle had drawn his attention backwards and Steve twisted his neck to find another hand pushing a large canvas tarp in his direction. _"Hey, wrap him in this – we're going to have to use blow torches to cut this stuff away!"_

It had been almost impossible to get the task accomplished while lying on his stomach and using mostly one hand. Plus Steve had been additionally hampered by low hanging metal debris and his own agonizingly painful wrist. But he eventually managed to do it and then had panicked as a wet cough shook Danny and a spot of blood appeared on his lip. He had tried to pull his trapped arm out from under his chest when the coughing jarred him.

" _No. Don't move! Danny?"_ Steve almost shouted as the hold on his wrist fell off suddenly. He had wormed his way closer, ducked his head under the canvas to pillow Danny's head on his left forearm before it had sagged to hit the concrete floor. Frantic fingers dug into Danny's neck leaving trails of bloody smears to find a much too rapid pulse.

They had both been under the canvas by that point; all of Danny had been protected but only Steve's upper body was as he worked on rousing his partner. He had felt movement by his feet as a second canvas tarp was draped over his own legs. Other torches were started and the tedious work to cut through the metal framework began.

Many minutes later, Steve could sense the pieces of the oppressive structure being dragged away. Loud clangs and shouts echoed in the room as many hands lifted and pulled back each piece of metal. The canvas was eventually removed and finally hands had gently reached in to fit a collar around Danny's neck. More hands appeared to lift and move the injured officer to a backboard while Steve was helped to his feet. Another towel was wrapped around Steve's hand and wrist by small nimble fingers and he'd looked up in surprised to find Kono's worried face.

" _Hey boss."_ Kono had whispered. " _We got a call from one of the crew.._." He only remembered a jumble murmur of words at that point where part of his brain understood she would make sure the mother and child were fine. Chin had met them at the ambulance. And then the doors had closed. Steve had looked down briefly to see that he was covered in their combined blood .. he'd pushed off the EMT's triage.

And then Danny hadn't moved again until just less than one hour ago. "Too long Danno." Steve mumbled quietly as he slowly got to his feet and leaned over the bed to be sure. Danny was definitely now just sleeping and his hands were comfortably warm.

"And not a single _what if_ \- not a one. You didn't even think about what could happen. And now everyone's safe .. except you." His voice held a trace of regret and maybe bitterness. Needlessly, he smoothed the blankets one more time before settling on the cot and downing both the pain medication, a few crackers and then the entire bottled water the nurse had brought in.

A thought about what Danny often said about borrowed time rattled around in his head. It made Steve chuff out a disgusted sound and he waggled the empty plastic water bottle at Danny's bed as he flipped the words' meaning. "Don't you dare make us think that we have borrowed time with you. Completely unacceptable. Completely untrue and your ohana doesn't work that way."

Not believing that he would actually be able to close his eyes, Steve wrapped himself in a blanket and was soon blissfully asleep.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.  
> Safe travels and happy Holidays to ALL!!!

" _ **Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."**_ ― _**A.A. Milne**_

**Chapter Five**

Coffee. Steve sighed in his sleep and turned over only to burrow more deeply into his blanket. The happy smell of a very good coffee became stronger and he finally started to wake up believing that he was home. Other than that wonderful aroma, the next thing he realized was that his right hand hurt terribly. The steady rhythmic beeps of hospital machines began to drone in the background and his eyes opened in alarm. He most certainly was not home.

Chin was standing above him holding a cardboard tray with the source of the wonderful smell - four large steaming cups of coffee. "What time is it?" Steve groaned the words out as he clutched his bandaged hand to his chest. The ache seemed much worse and he wondered if he had accidentally rolled over on it while sleeping.

Instead of answering, Chin was concerned as he asked his own important question. "You don't have tendon damage, do you? It looks ... _bad_."

Chin was focused on the heavily bandaged hand and wrist. The fingers were swollen and the base of Steve's thumb was an angry deep-red color. The way he was holding it, proved how badly it also must feel. He didn't miss the flicker of pain that crossed Steve's face but he did relax slightly when Steve tiredly shook his head no. Chin watched him slowly swing his legs off the cot. Once more, Chin tallied up the greenish-hue that briefly crossed over his face to another problem. Steve had remained sitting there as a slight feeling of nausea rolled through his stomach.

"Great." Steve muttered to himself already knowing, that even though the wound had been thoroughly irrigated, he could have an infection creeping in. He missed Chin's frown as he conquered the nausea and got to his feet still cradling his hand. It felt hot and stiff, and he was going to ask for pain medication when Chin motioned towards the side table where a small pill cup had been placed.

"It's seven-thirty and the nurse just left. That's your pain med and antibiotic there and Danny seems to be sleeping. I just got here." Chin put the small tray down and chose one for Steve and then one for himself.

"Kono said you demanded coffee, so I got you two cups. Something came up and she's running late this morning."

They were talking around each other but entirely on the same page. Answering each other's questions almost backwards, in an odd type of comfortable exchange.

"The doc says I just missed severely damaging them. Got lucky, but yes ...it's sore. I guess we both got lucky." Steve mused quietly as he walked over to the bed. "How's Danny?"

After taking the medication with his coffee, Steve was back to leaning over the bed, nausea already forgotten. He closed his eyes briefly to breathe in the steam from the cup but Danny's eyes opened unexpectedly just as Steve took a sip and he choked on the swallow in surprise. That was followed by yet more hacking coughs and watery eyes until Chin came over to pat him solidly on his back.

"Well, look who's awake!" Chin continued to slap Steve while he happily beamed down at Danny. "How do you feel?"

Danny frowned up as Steve waved his left hand aimlessly in the air and took a few steps away from the bed.

"M'fine." Danny mumbled automatically as he raised an eyebrow at Steve's now beet-red and tear-stained face. "I think."

Like Steve, the aroma of coffee had woken Danny accompanied then by the soft conversation between the two men. Unlike Steve, Danny certainly didn't want any as the bitter, acrid smell made him feel sick. In fact, he didn't want anything as his head throbbed and he took shallow breaths to reduce the pain in his chest. He tried to ask about Steve, but failed at stifling a pained moan as he shifted uncomfortably. His shoulders felt like they were on fire and his movement started a brand new ache that added to his misery.

Danny looked at Chin as sweat beaded on his forehead. He only managed to whisper as another sharp pain flitted through his damaged rib. "Maybe not so good."

But Chin had immediately seen his distress and had thumbed the call button with a kind smile. "Okay, so not really good at all, brah. I'm on it. Let's get some help in here." Steve had finally gotten himself under control from the startled coughing spasm just before a new nurse arrived with medication. He paced near the foot of the bed until Danny sighed a few minutes later and the painful edge eased significantly.

"Back hurts too." Danny breathed out in confusion. He vaguely remembered the accident but didn't understand why his shoulders and back were so very painful. And then the little boy ... he looked at Steve worriedly. "The baby? He's okay right?"

Steve nodded as he reminded Danny about the accident though he was a bit upset that Danny not only was in so much discomfort, he also didn't seem to remember waking earlier that morning. "You got banged up in that fall. You slid down a few steps on your back to protect the baby. And yeah, because of your acrobatics, he is totally fine Danny. In fact, Kono said that Annabel's parents are sending for her to come home."

"Who?" He was sure that he hadn't heard that name before and Danny looked quizzically from Steve to Chin. Another faint memory of a dizzying, suspended feeling had him closing his eyes for a moment. He felt a warm pressure on his arm and looked up to find Steve's worried face. "I don't understand. Did I fall?"

Speaking more slowly, Steve tried again to explain what was going on. Danny's eyes were clear, but he was definitely having trouble remembering their earlier discussion, brief as it was. "Annabel is the baby's mother. Annabel Reynolds. Her parents filed a missing person's report months ago. According to Kono, they are desperate to have her back home. It's good news."

Steve cleared his throat uncomfortably before soothingly rubbing Danny's good arm. "And yeah, Danny you fell and got banged up. But you'll be fine with rest."

The pained lines on Danny's face eased even more as he absorbed what Steve was saying about Annabel Reynolds and the baby. He smiled and made a happy sound in his throat. He had a muddled dream in his half-waking state where he couldn't remember holding the baby for very long. At first he was there and then his arms had been distressingly empty. It felt wrong in his dream but he couldn't exactly remember what had happened or if any of it had even been real.

"Good." A soft smile was still on his face as his eyes began to close again. He felt sick and was extremely tired as the medication pulled him under. "Tired." He murmured and then jerked awake to blink a few times to be sure. Yes, Steve's right hand was bandaged; that had been real. In fact, the way he was holding his right hand and the bandage were both significant. And Danny could now see the weary pain in Steve's face and the way he was protectively holding it to his chest. Concern made his voice raise harshly. "What did you do? How bad is that?"

The near casual shrug made Danny only stare harder in annoyance. "It's okay. I cut it at the warehouse and it's been stitched up." But the simple answer wasn't good enough, so Danny looked to Chin.

"And?"

There was a brief grin and then Chin tried to provide more, but he didn't yet know enough. He only knew what Steve had so briefly shared. "And, that seems to be it Danny. Missed the major tendons which is the most important thing."

"I'm fine Danno. Really. We're going to focus on getting you back on your feet." Danny huffed a disgusted sound and shook his head tiredly. He tried to glare at Steve and failed as a wave of exhaustion passed over him. It was something Steve didn't miss as he rubbed Danny's arm again. "Get some sleep. Kono's coming by later and you need your beauty rest."

The disagreeable huff was soft as Danny drifted off for good. "Fine. M'fine too."

Steve couldn't help looking over to Chin with a gloomy expression before going back to sit on the small cot. He was tired too and based on the time, had only logged about three hours sleep. The short conversation worried him more and he was now making moves to get up to leave the room to find the doctor.

"We need to tell the doctor he's confused. He knew about the accident earlier this morning when he woke the first time, and I also told him that the baby was fine. It could be normal because of the concussion, but the doctor's should know all of this just in case."

Chin physically pushed Steve back down and held up a finger to stop the weary rambling. "I'll tell the doctor now if you promise to get some rest." Steve looked haggard and worn, plus there was no doubt that the painkillers for his own hand were quite strong. He was blinking owlishly at Chin and then made no effort to resist the suggestion to lay down.

He nodded and was dozing before Chin had made it to the doorway of the hospital room. Within five minutes, Chin had dutifully brought the doctor up-to-speed not only on Danny's confusion but also of his concern over Steve's injured hand. With Chin hovering behind, the doctor quietly checked both men and heaved a sigh.

Testament to his state of exhaustion, Steve oddly hadn't moved a muscle as the doctor gently examined his fingers and upper arm where the bandage ended. Chin had even gone so far to warn the doctor about trying, but Steve was bone-tired and the doctor nearly silent in his adept exam. He even slept through a rapid retake of his temperature. Chin then met the doctor out in the hallway where he agreed the antibiotics might not be strong enough.

"The Detective seems fine .. he will sleep often and that's to be expected. Confusion is most likely due to the concussion but we'll monitor that over the next few hours. And your Commander does have an elevated temperature. I'm also not pleased about the swelling and discoloration in his fingers. When he awakens again, I'll better examine and then redress his hand .. but in the meantime, I'll prescribe a stronger course of antibiotics."

Chin thanked the man and texted Kono the brief update. Her reply was swift, promising that she'd be at the hospital no later than eleven that morning with a particular surprise for Danny. He grinned quietly and then re-entered the room to make sure both friends remained in a peaceful sleep. Danny would definitely like what Kono was bringing; Chin only hoped he'd be awake long enough to enjoy it.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Four hours later, Chin needn't have worried. Danny was holding a baby on his lap and foolishly making baby sounds as little hands flew in the air and tiny feet pummeled his stomach. Annabel Reynolds was laughing hysterically as her son made friends again with the man who had saved their lives. And Danny was tickled because he had been announced as the baby's new _Uncle Danny,_ as Belle - her preferred nickname - plopped the happy baby into his lap. Kono had raised the bed just enough for Danny to tent his knees so the little boy rested there just out-of-the-way of his cast and held in place by his one good hand that was tickling the belly of the yellow jumper.

The baby, Daniel Aaron Reynolds, II, was chortling and pumping his legs every time Danny made a certain silly face or funny noise. He certainly wasn't bothered by this new man's white bandaged head or badly bruised cheekbone. And his baby-sized babbles were completely infectious as he carried on his own private conversation.

Steve was just returning from a blood test and was only one temperature degree off from being admitted to the hospital for observation. He was none too happy by that news or at being chauffeured in a wheelchair back to the hospital room by Chin. But he was confused by the loud laughter and what sounded like a baby reaching his ears in the hallway.

"Is that Danny?" Steve asked as Chin pushed him a bit faster towards the room. Kono had definitely shown up with Belle and her son while Steve was downstairs being re-evaluated. The painful process included redressing his stitched hand, a battery of blood tests and much debate over his rising temperature. At 101 degrees, the doctor had annoyed Steve by blandly stating he was one degree off being admitted. He'd escaped a bed by agreeing to a wheelchair, a protective sling to keep his hand elevated, and a third evaluation later that afternoon. But he forgot all of that as they returned to the room and he saw Danny's face.

Chin knew that Kono's surprise was going to be the Reynolds' girl. Annabel had been adamant about visiting the man who saved her and her baby's life. She was anxious to thank him properly, along with showing off the little boy and Kono had willingly volunteered to drive her over that day. So Chin merely shrugged happily as he wheeled Steve along. They rocked to a stop in the doorway as they sensed the complete change in the room. They were both stunned that the formerly quiet and somewhat dour atmosphere had been transformed by the happy teenager and her cheerful baby. Where Danny had been much too subdued and maybe even too lethargic, he now had color in his face and was smiling animatedly from ear to ear.

"Hi Belle." Chin offered as he entered the room, and Steve turned in the chair to peer up at him. "You knew about this?" He whispered almost accusingly. But Chin only shrugged and pleaded innocence.

"We met of course, earlier. At the precinct."

"Hey Steve, you need to meet Belle and little Daniel here. They came for a visit with Kono." Steve raised both eyebrows in surprise as he stood from the chair and awkwardly used his left hand to greet the teenager while Danny provided the brief introductions. "Belle, this is my partner Steve McGarrett. He was there too."

The pretty teenager nodded. There was a certain mature poise about her as she confidently introduced herself. "Yes, I remember and I'd like to thank you too for what you did for us."

Danny grinned as baby Daniel gave out with a loud gurgle and grabbed his thumb. The two had their own little discourse that once again sent the baby's arms flailing with a long babble that ended on a high questioning note. It was exactly what they heard in the corridor. And both Chin and Steve joined in the astonished laughter while Kono offered an explanation.

"They have this 'thing' going on .. quite the conversation it seems." Though he was obviously still uncomfortable, Danny's morose attitude was completely gone as he played with the baby. He looked at Steve as the baby doggedly held onto his thumb with all his might.

"And this talkative little guy ... he's going to see his grandpa soon I understood."

His words had been accidental, but perfectly timed as Duke Lukela strode through the door with an older well-dressed man who seemed both excited and nervous at the same time. "Grandpa has actually arrived." Duke stated calmly, as he ushered the tall man in front of him.

"Dad!" Belle blurted out in astonishment as the man stood there awkwardly looking from person to person in the small room. Kono was the only other person that knew Mr. Reynolds would be flying in early and Duke had generously agreed to bring the man to the hospital. Mr. Reynolds not only wanted to see his daughter, but additionally wanted to personally thank the wonderful people who had brought her home.

But now, even though there were pleased smiles on almost every face, conversation had ceased and baby Daniel's cooing was soon the only other sound breaking the silence. Mr. Reynolds was rooted to the spot, with his hands shoved deeply into his pockets, as he looked from his daughter to the child that Danny held in his lap.

"Hi Belle." HIs smile was anxious and hesitant, but the spell was broken when Belle hurtled herself into her father's arms. The Five-0 team was thrilled to see the genuinely happy reunion and hear the teary _'I missed you's'_ and _'I love you's'_ that were muffled into shoulders and buried by hugs.

"Your mom didn't come .. she's fixing the spare bedroom up." Mr. Reynolds coughed and then smiled warmly. His hands went from his pockets to making a large dramatic gestures in the air.

"Well, you know your mother... baby stuff .. she can't help herself .. she wants it perfect for you two ... you know, when you both come home."

Danny was sitting in rapt attention as the father and daughter gushed over each other. He caught Steve's eye and started to grin even more foolishly as baby Daniel huffed a bored sound and started to purse his mouth as if to cry. He objected to being ignored by his new Uncle and his face crumbled threateningly. A tiny fist waved in the air, but Belle was already half way back to the bed and holding her hands out. And when the baby saw his mother, his face cleared miraculously and he made happy burring sounds.

"Is that him?" Mr. Reynolds asked stupidly, and then blushed. He was fairly bouncing on his toes in anticipation and when Belle picked the baby up, the man held his hands out to take him. "He looks like you Belle."

"Well dad, meet Daniel Aaron Reynolds, II." She introduced them just as she slid the baby into his grandfather's arms and his eyes welled up with happy tears. "Daniel, it's time to meet your grandpa Dan."

"You named him after me? Belle, I don't know what to say." The big man was whispering as he gently held his new grandson and beamed down at the full-cheeked, innocent face. The baby stared up at the new stranger and then burbled again as if in total agreement as his fingers flew up to firmly grab his grandpa's nose.

Duke laughed at Steve's unconscious bewildered expression - there were three _Daniels_ in the same room and hands were flailing like mad. And his Daniel looked like the cat that swallowed the proverbial canary. The stress had left his face and he'd forgotten much of his recent pain. In fact, when Steve's dazed expression met Danny's glowing eyes, he held up three fingers on his good right hand and smiled happily.

"We have baby Daniel, grandpa Dan and me ..." Danny squirmed happily back into this pillows with a very pleased smirk which was spread widely across his face. He tapped his chest for emphasis and everyone started to laugh again. Steve completely failed at biting his lip to keep from smiling, and then gave up as he started to chuckle. Three very gregarious _Daniels_ \- at three very diverse ages - was an amazing experience.

"Must be the name, Steve. Don't you think?" At his words, Baby Daniel gave out with another very loud infectious giggle and waved a fist at his grandpa. Steve was almost incredulous as he shook his head and began to laugh even louder. The smug look on Danny's face grew and he pointed a finger at his partner. "Yeah, it's all in the name. Definitely."

Kono's laugh spontaneously burst out and she covered her mouth with her hand. But Chin was making no effort to hide his own pleasure and the happy coincidence. And Belle was grinning ear to ear as her father bounced his new grandson gently in his arms and whispered silly words.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Before leaving, Dan Reynolds asked for a private visit with Danny and Steve. It seemed like an odd request, but Danny seemed to understand that the older man was self-conscious and needed to talk. The exciting reunion had naturally wound down with both the baby and Danny becoming fatigued for entirely different reasons.

"I don't need much of your time. I just wanted to thank you both personally." Mr. Reynolds said. He could easily see that the Detective's discomfort was growing and he'd become much less talkative, even briefly closing his eyes when he thought no one would notice. The problem was that everyone had noticed and the visitors were all slowly filing outside into the hallway one by one. And Dan did only stay for a few minutes, to quietly thank Danny for what Belle had described as an unbelievable, completely selfless rescue.

"What if you hadn't been there? Who would have helped them if you hadn't been there? Either of you for that matter ... to stop that lunatic?" Reynolds was near tears as he looked to Steve and then to Danny.

"She was missing for months and we didn't know how to find her. We thought we lost her for good until HPD contacted us through the FBI and the missing persons file. And then we thought the worst - we were so relieved that Belle was okay. But in their eyes for a missing person, she wasn't exactly a kid or classified as a runaway; she was just missing with no leads and almost at the bottom of the heap. We hired investigators and hung flyers; paid for advertisements. But got nowhere. So, I just wanted to say thank you again."

The heartfelt ' _what_ _if'_ made Danny close his eyes for a moment. It was the adult version of _'you can do anything'_ and Danny didn't know what to make of it. Following that up with Dan's fearful words about having lost his daughter also hit home and he sighed heavily. The definition of Danny losing Grace even permanently to Rachel, would be entirely different ... he couldn't ever compare it to a father who's own daughter had seemingly disappeared into the ether. Like Dan, he wouldn't have ever rested in the search for a lost child.

The ' _I was only doing my job'_ cliché was on the tip of Danny's tongue and he knew it would sound pathetic. He was begining to feel nauseous too, with the ache in his shoulders returning from being elevated in the bed and playing with the baby for so long. He certainly wasn't going to complain about that, but he was becoming completely worn out and now wanted to simply close his eyes. On top of not feeling well, the praise made him uncomfortable, Reynolds' emotions made it worse, and so he decided on changing the subject to get the attention off himself.

"To know that Belle has a family .. means more." Danny replied truthfully. He refused to look at Steve who had shifted meaningfully off to the side because he knew what _face_ his friend was making. It was likely a cross between " _I told you so'_ and " _other people will tell you so, too_." A pleased supportive expression that proved Steve's points, negated Danny's and shouted the message that Danny was so hesitant to believe or accept.

" _Stop trying so damned hard ... stop taking things so seriously and just know you're always going to do your best."_

Reynolds shrugged happily and Danny nearly stopped breathing because he could practically see what was on the man's mind. He unconsciously made a face as he mentally asked the man to _'please not say it; please just don't say it'_. But he did and to Steve's credit, he managed to only clear his throat to mark his surprise and total agreement.

"We always wanted Belle home. We feared the worst after all this time. And now, we lost so much time with her and you gave it back to us. Just an incredible amount of time ... and now this baby. But losing time can be fixed ... because now she's going to be home. We only lost that and not her... and that's okay because we can make up for it."

Danny picked at the blanket and closed his eyes again. "I .. well .. okay." He was at a total loss as the custody issues with Grace flew through this thoughts and grew a new perspective. Then the conversation that he had with Steve ... how depressed and overwhelmed he had been. And now Dan Reynolds proving that everyone had their own personal bunch of _'what if's'_. But Dan was already past all of it because he had bigger fish to fry ... his daughter was safely home. And his take on 'time' was the exact opposite of Danny's own version and he could learn from that. And if there was a baby? Then Grandpa Dan would be happy with that too since his grandson was a precious thing.

He listened with his eyes closed as Dan prattled on and Danny found it oddly soothing. It gave him a fresh outlook and new food for thought. "Maybe if she hadn't gone to college in California, she never would have met that guy. But she did .. and what's done frankly, is done. We all grow for it right? And she's not a stupid girl .. she had a moment of misguided youth that made her drop out of college and follow that surfer. It's all part of growing up, right? But what if you hadn't been there ... we never would have had this chance ... and we would have lost two beautiful little people."

He let his words trail off before slapping his thigh emphatically. "Listen, all I know is that our family is more than whole again. And you risked yourself ... I don't know if I could ever be brave like that. Like what you must deal with every day." He was gesturing towards the bed to take in all of Danny's painful bedridden state.

Neither Danny nor Steve knew exactly what to say, because they obviously did deal with danger every day. No one knew it better and especially Steve, as a trained SEAL. He had been trained, done and seen things many would never hear about for many obvious reasons. But Steve saved Danny because he was beginning to struggle from the long visit. He was still gamely listening, but his hand had strayed to wearily rub his forehead which was now slightly pinched in pain. And Reynolds noticed it too as he started to edge out the door with Steve's arm over his shoulders.

"I can't tell you anything else except that we're relieved and very glad to have been there that day ... at that time." Steve stressed. "But like Danny said, we don't often get to have such happy endings like this. He's right for both of us in that knowing Belle will be going home means more than we can express."

He glanced back as he escorted Dan Reynolds from the room and knew that Danny approved by the half-hearted thumbs up sign. Then they all stayed in the hallway to quietly share a few last warm goodbyes. But Steve was surreptitiously looking for the head nurse or doctor for Danny's sake. With that one glance, he also caught the stressed, tight lines around Danny's mouth. The visit had held its own healing benefits, but it had also been long and Danny was hurting.

As Duke left with the Reynolds family, Steve was well on his way to the nurse's station and he didn't need to ask either Kono or Chin to escape back into the room to check on Danny. Kono sat on the edge of the bed to quietly study Danny's face. His eyes were closed and he was taking shallow uncomfortable breaths.

"I'm sorry .. that went longer than I thought it might. Headache?" She stated as his hand came up again to rub the deep, tense lines that had appeared in his forehead. "You fell pretty hard. It's a wonder you only got a concussion and a few stitches in that head of yours." Her teasing was gentle but serious as her own hand felt his head for any signs of fever.

Danny snorted softly in agreement but refused to open his eyes. The visit had made him happier than anyone could know and Dan Reynolds simply helped him realize a few things; parts of which made him thankful. He was equally happy that everyone had left the room as his head throbbed in time to his shallow breaths. Fatigue made him limp as did the growing ache that had started in his temple, just under the bandages. His back hurt and his right hand unconsciously started to massage the fingers of his casted left arm and Kono frowned as she intercepted him. She noted with some relief that his fingers felt fine and both hands were of a natural warmth, so it could only be more pain.

"Arm hurts too?" She asked and when he miserably nodded, Kono rocked off the bed. "Steve went to find the nurse, I'll go check on that. Chin is here, so just rest Danny."

Chin took Kono's place to calmly offer soothing support until the two brought the doctor back. By then, Danny was in a restless doze and the doctor worked quickly to dispense an anti-emetic to combat any nausea and strong painkillers into his I.V. lines.

"That was a long visit, but it did him more good than harm. He's fine and needs to sleep." Steve let the breath out that he'd been holding and Kono relaxed from her guilty stance. The doctor leaned down to address Danny softly to make sure. "How are you doing? Better?"

Steve was relieved when Danny opened his eyes to answer the doctor and he saw that the stressful lines had finally started to ease. "Yeah, better." Danny managed to breathe out. He closed his eyes again to listen to the hummed conversation taking place around him. Both the pain in his head and arm had lessened significantly. The burning ache in his shoulders from where he'd banged and skinned his back was also slowly leaving and he relaxed deeper into the bedding.

"Nice visit Danno." Steve's voice was very soft and also quite close. Danny wearily looked up to find Steve sitting next to his hip. He saw Steve's face brighten when he opened his eyes since it was obvious Steve had thought he had already drifted off to sleep. "Nice family. Cute kid too."

Danny could practically feel the medication hammering away at the pained knots in his body. He felt more floaty and peaceful; and he began to find it difficult to keep his eyes open, content now to just listen to Steve talk. He blinked as Steve's face blurred but he couldn't clear his vision so gave up with a half chuckle, part sigh.

"Good meds." He slurred as a soft, gentle lull pulled him down to sleep. But Danny managed a few agreeable words which made Steve smile more happily just before he finally gave up the fight to stay awake. "Baby Daniel and Belle. Glad they get to go home." His fingers dropped off Steve's hand where he hadn't even realized they lay after Steve had untangled them from where he'd been gripping the sheets in pain.

"I hope you were listening good Danno. Give yourself more credit .. it all works out in the end." Steve whispered as he covered the now lax fingers under the blankets. "Everything will work out with Gracie."

He grinned as he realized something important and almost wished Danny was awake to hear it. "What happened with the Reynolds' family was definitely meant to be. Not all _'what if's'_ are bad because you are the Reynolds' _'what if'_ and you really did give them back something they thought they'd lost."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Kono was laughing even though she was clearly taking her life in her hands. Steve had said " _I'm fine_ " with a particular snippy tone and just one time too many to the doctor. The man had just completed re-evaluating Steve's stitched hand and basic vitals as promised. However, Steve had assumed the late afternoon exam to be a mere formality. Something to get over with after the Reynolds had left. Just a nuisance to deal with while Danny slept. But it was clear to anyone that looked at him, that Steve didn't feel well with a face more flushed than it should and eyes that were becoming more glassy with fever by the hour. Add to that, the steady refusals to have a bite to eat in the hospital cafeteria and the fact that he had only managed coffee over the last many hours settling for nothing more than dry crackers.

And Kono was laughing because the kind doctor was in the process of admitting her boss for at least one overnight stay and Steve was completely outraged by the idea. A nurse was fastening a patient's bracelet around a very resistant wrist as the SEAL argued with the doctor. Kono made a face because his good hand felt too dry as if he were dehydrated and it held an unhealthy type of heat.

"I told you that I would be okay. This is not necessary." Steve angrily tried to refuse the care and shake off the nurse, but Kono was happy to hold his hand still while she finished clipping the bracelet into place.

And she was still grinning, but only shrugged at his pointed glare. "Listen, boss. Even I can tell you don't feel well and it's only getting worse."

"Welcome to our hospital. I know you'll enjoy your stay." The doctor drawled as he pushed back from the exam table where he'd again re-dressed Steve's hand. "You're temperature is now up to 102 degrees and it's now quite obvious that you need a stronger course of antibiotics. And Officer Kalakaua is correct .. though we've irrigated your wound quite well, the rust or dirt .. or whatever was latent in that old warehouse has taken up stubborn residence. We need to get this gone before it does worsen."

Steve grumbled unhappily until the doctor made one final and most critical point. "This wound is very close to the tendons in your right hand. If we don't care for this now .. and I do mean **_now_ **.. the infection could spread and you could lose the use of your right hand permanently. I'm sure you don't want that to happen."

The warning pulled Steve's objections up short and he considered the doctor's serious expression. The man was far from joking and the strident message made its mark clear. "Fine. Okay." Steve quietly nodded as he stood from the exam table. He carefully slid his wrist back into a sling. Sharp pains flickered through his swollen fingers and the worst pain was at the base of his thumb; the fleshy part that then radiated into his wrist.

"Let's kick this out." He mumbled more to himself than to anyone else.

"Good." Kono said quietly as he accepted the ruling. Where she'd been smiling before, the doctor's words had scared and sobered her as well. With Steve's temperature rising and the wound looking more reddened than before, this was not something to ignore and she pushed him into the wheelchair. "We'll go back to Danny's room until another one is ready for you."

The doctor nodded in agreement. "Give me about an hour or so. I want you on a strong I.V. of antibiotics and fluids for the next twenty-four hours. I assume you're nauseous too?"

When Steve made a face that said _yes_ , Kono punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Come on really? Really .. Steve?"

The doctor snorted and shook his head about the obstinate man. "I'll add an anti-emetic to your charts. You need to be able to keep something down to keep your strength going."

Now that he'd been essentially ratted out, Steve sagged in the wheelchair with his eyes tiredly closed as Kono rolled him back towards Danny's room. But Kono's sharp intake of breath stopped them short. Steve nearly bolted out of the wheelchair in a fury with Kono on his heels when they realized that Chin had a man up against the wall in the hallway. A few nurses and hospital security were also present. But the two security guards were flanking the Five-0 officer as he rattled the unknown man's head into the hard white plaster.

"What's going on?" Steve demanded and then his eyes narrowed as he recognized the man. "You can't be here and you should know that." He hissed the words as he roughly wrenched the man's digital camera out of his hand. It seemed that they had returned just in time to aid in Chin in removing the unwanted reporter from hospital grounds.

"He was just leaving." Chin stated dryly as he briskly plucked the hidden recorder from the man's inside shirt pocket. "What else are you hiding?"

The reporter was a well-known aggressive man with a reputation for determined, belligerant tactics. He shrugged now at Chin's question. "I want an exclusive." Walter Sandt boldly demanded as he ignored the new hand that threatened his neatly tailored shirt collar. His head was bumped uncomfortably up against the wall again as he cooly met Steve McGarrett's glassy-eyed but very angry glare.

"Can you tell me in your words, what exactly happened? And what your injuries are?" Sandt asked blithely as his eyes moved down to the bandaged hand held loosely in a sling. The solid set to Steve's jaw only amused him as he was released briefly to be bodily moved towards the two security guards.

"No comment." Steve ground out between clenched teeth. "These two fine gentlemen will see you out. Don't come back or you will be arrested." Sandt chuffed a sound similar to a chuckle that intentionally triggered Steve's temper and Kono inserted herself between the two. Again something that Sandt wanted for he was taking mental notes and the ongoing confrontation only allowed him to stay longer in the hospital.

He glanced around quickly and noted that Chin Ho Kelly had mysteriously disappeared. Peering around Steve's shoulder, he could see that he'd returned to the Detective's bedside. Sandt had a few photos of the recovering man, taken very quickly when Kelly left the room for a phone call. He'd been caught by a nurse but the media card was in his shoe and no longer in the camera that McGarrett had taken. Sandt grinned unconsciously as his toes curled around the small rectangle and he tallied up his earnings in his head.

"Detective Williams is a hero." Sandt squared his shoulders and tried to shake off the security guards as he dug his heels into the linoleum floor. "What can you tell me about the baby and his mother? What is their relationship to the arsonist?"

Kono anchored herself next to Steve and hid her surprise. They had done their best to keep certain particulars quiet to protect Belle and baby Daniel but it was obvious Sandt had his paid sources. Frankly, it was expected as long as names remained locked tightly away - reporters would do whatever reporters _did_. But Five-0 was under the Governor's edict and treated differently and with a certain professional respect by default. So she and Steve didn't need to look at each other as they refused to reply. Danny was a hero but Sandt had an unethical reputation and he would get nothing as they physically hustled him down towards the elevators.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Something happened before the sky-rocketing pain in his head woke him but he gagged when he opened his eyes and he groaned in misery. The room was suddently so bright, it was sickening and he could barely see Chin's face through the sparkling blackish haze.

"Danny?" At the best of times, Chin's voice was low and calm and he lowered it even more, instinctively knowing something was wrong. His voice was also distracted as it was first closer and then muffled as if Chin had turned briefly away from the bed.

But Danny could barely answer as he slammed his eyes shut and swallowed spasmodically while his stomach clenched in time to the pain in his head. "Head. Sick." He breathed out the two simple words as he gagged again after trying to reopen his eyes. There was rapid movement around him as Chin rang for the doctor, slightly raised the head of the bed, followed by the lights being immediately dimmed in the room. A wet, cool cloth suddenly was draped over his eyes and he shuddered as a sickly chill swept through him.

There was also noise outside his room in the hallway. That also had woken him. Strident voices that were demanding, clipped and much too loud. He heard Steve and so many other voices, he couldn't count them and then quickly abandoned trying as pain pierced his head. "Chin." Danny whispered. "Who?"

He stammered and then gulped back the rising bile from the migraine that was suddenly wreaking havoc on his already battered body. "What's .. hallway? Fight?"

"Kono and Steve got it." Chin whispered almost in anger and Danny dismally tried to push the cloth off to open his eyes, but Chin grabbed his hand. "Leave it. The doctor's on his way." Again he could sense the stress rolling off his friend but didn't have to wait long for Chin to continue explaining.

"Someone called the media. Didn't take much with the union, arsonist and now what they're calling a human interest story about Belle." Chin was grinding the words out in a harsh whisper as he held Danny's hand away from the cool cloth. But he rewet the cloth to wipe his face one-handed, only to replace the cloth over Danny's eyes with an easy flick of his wrist.

Chin had left Danny to call Governor Denning with an update on his two Five-0 officers. He also discussed the rumor that had surfaced about a certain heroic detective that had rescued an infant. Those rumors had grown exponentially and keeping names and particular details very private was becoming more critical. But Chin had been pleased to learn that Denning had his ear to the ground and was well aware of the growing gossip mill. In fact, Denning had already been planning a press release for later that evening.

" _Williams is a hero but this will be handled professionally and with his best interests in mind. The media will get only what we want them to get."_

However, their call was abruptly cut short when Chin wandered back down the hallway towards Danny's hospital room and he recognized Walter Sandt. He blurted that out in surprise and Denning's ire matched Chin's own and before they ended their call, Denning was adamant. " _Sandt is at least done in this press corps .. you have my word._ _My secretary released official notice that I'd be giving a statement at six p.m. at my office. Go .. get him out of there."_

Denning understood the ramifications and Chin heard him changing his plans on the fly. _"I'll move the release up with my staff and put this to bed. We will maintain control for everyone's safety and privacy_."

"The problem is .. he got in the hospital. So, the Governor is on his way to take this outside and level the playing field. Of course this is a story .. always has been. But Walter Sandt snuck in here and tried to get into your room with a camera and recorder. Steve was getting his hand looked at with Kono and I had stepped out for just a second to call Denning .. but a nurse stopped Sandt in time."

And now Chin was angry because he'd left the room for that call and Sandt had only been stopped in his tracks by a perceptive nurse. Sandt was still arguing with Steve, Kono and hospital staff as he tried to get an exclusive regardless of the pending and controlled press release announced by Denning. And Danny could hear the excitement in the reporter's voice that included pushy, obnoxious questions as he was physically being removed from the hospital by not only his team, but also by security.

Then Danny vaguely remembered it - a flash. No. There were a few flashes of bright light and his breathing changed as he struggled to sit up. That was the _something_ he couldn't quite put his finger on when he first woke up.

"Not .. in time. Pictures. He took .. camera. Chin." Besides the fact that Danny personally didn't appreciate his picture being taken, Five-0 couldn't readily afford to have their faces published in any tabloid and Chin knew what Danny meant immediately. Another facet of Denning's press release included that particular control but now Sandt likely had taken candid pictures of Danny as he recovered in the hospital. Steve had the camera but Sandt was sneaky and Chin was moving.

"Hang on. I got it Danny." And then he was alone as Chin's voice added to the fray that was receding down the hallway. But the solitary feeling didn't last long and without being able to look, Danny knew that Steve was in the room. Even angry, Chin's presence was smaller and tightly controlled. But Steve simply took up space and displaced the air around the bed as he darkly loomed over Danny.

"Damn reporters." Steve whispered as he sat on the bed near where Chin had been. "We got the digital media card and it will be destroyed. Sandt won't be covering any stories anywhere on this Island once the Governor gets done with him."

Danny was breathing shallowly as he tried to listen. Sandt was a local television reporter that was too aggressive not only his own good, but usually for the good of his interview victim. In this case, Steve and Danny were his victims after he'd been tipped off by one of the construction workers. He knew more about what had gone down at the warehouse before Denning had even received his first official update.

Danny was startled as a strong hand clasped his wrist to check his pulse. "Just rest Detective. Keep your eyes closed and try to breathe through it." The whisper belonged to that of Doctor Byrnes, the attending physician that had been caring for Danny since he'd arrived at the hospital. And Danny was thankful for the man's courtesy since he didn't think he could bear anything louder than the man's low, gentle hum.

"The concussion is bad enough ... a migraine like what you seem to be experiencing can happen. Though this incident certainly seems to have been the true catalyst .. but we'll get you fixed up."

Seconds later, he felt the strong warmth of something spreading into his arm and it moved methodically through his body. Eventually, the pain dropped to levels he could tolerate but he coughed uncomfortably as his stomach seized again. The cough rattled his broken rib and he weakly wrapped his good arm over his chest. The thought of being physically sick was almost frightening and he swallowed hard as he panted through the painful feelings.

"Give it a few more minutes. Breathe slowly." Byrnes coached as he administered an anti-nausea medication. Without having to ask, the cloth over his eyes was removed, refreshed and he shivered uncontrollably as his face and neck were wiped down. Another rinse, and then put back over his eyes and forehead.

"Don't want that to happen again." His voice sounded hollow and thin as he shakily insisted on pulling the cloth off his eyes. His entire team was hovering next to him as Byrnes stepped back. The room was darkened but he still squinted through swirling black lights and he groaned again as his experiment failed. He was only on the fringes of feeling better.

Steve sighed tolerantly as he leaned forward to take the cloth back and once again laid it across his eyes. "Trust us, this will not happen again."

Hospital security and HPD was now on guard. Duke had been notified as well to increase protection around Belle and the Reynold's identity before they left the Island for the mainland. Things that had been in place simply were buttoned up even tighter as the issue with Sandt intensified.

Danny's hand pressed the cloth deeper into his eyes but it wasn't working and not knowing what he wanted, he miserably tried to take it off again. "Just leave it there." Steve admonished quietly and Byrnes nodded as he put a soothing hand on his patient's arm.

"You had a long day. What I gave you was fairly strong just now .. so sleep." Danny gave out with a soft sound of agreement. He was now beginning to feel better but his vision was still affected by the migraine. And Byrnes was right as Steve's voice became a faint buzz in his ears that slowly eased him into a restless sleep.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

The team sat quietly together after Sandt had been finally removed from the hospital. But that was after Chin had shoved the man right down to the floor outside the elevators. A rather complete body search had found the hidden media card tucked in the man's right shoe and one look at the reporter's face proved what it was. Steve had grinned down at the reporter and given him a sloppy, rude salute while Chin read him his rights. Charges were completely contrived and nothing would stick, but Sandt would be cooling off in an HPD cell for a good many hours.

Steve was now pacing unhappily near Danny's bed where he lay in a restless sleep. Chin was propped up in a corner where he was quietly studying Steve's rosy, sweaty face. Even with the sling in place, his left hand was cradling the bandaged hand to his chest.

"You're sick." Chin stated as he also finally noticed the hospital's wrist bracelet. Like Kono, he couldn't hide a sly smirk at Steve's expense. "And I see ... you've been admitted."

"Evidently." The sarcasm stressed a bitter annoyance. Steve was on edge and biting back the nausea that was now churning his own stomach. The altercation with Sandt hadn't done him any favors and he was fast approaching his own wall. Kono got to her feet and gently insisted that he sit in the wheelchair which he did with an aggrieved thump.

"He's only waiting for a room. His hand is infected and his temperature is up." And Steve stayed there sitting in the wheelchair and morosely watching Danny sleep until his own doctor tracked him down.

His room was on the same floor making security an easier task which everyone appreciated. Biting back his own feelings of resentment and true nausea, Steve was soon hooked up to a broad spectrum antibiotic and fluids. And then he surprised himself when his eyes began to droop entirely on their own. He was nearly asleep and didn't bother to open them when Kono's soft lilting laugh reached his ears.

"See what happens when you get off your feet for a few minutes? You're exhausted ... you've been on the go for hours. Chin and I will take care of things here for our two resident heroes." She smiled to herself when she heard his sigh of relief and then a soft puff that sounded like pure disgust at her final word. She would tell him later that the construction foreman had also called to once again check on Danny's condition.

He wanted to visit and again thank Danny himself and on behalf of his crew, but she firmly put him off. Thanking him too for caring, but knowing that both men needed at least a few more days before either would be up to receiving any more visitors. She shocked him before ending the call with a warning about he or his crew talking to the press. He had been honestly surprised and then justly annoyed. He promised to hold a meeting that day with his men to put a stop to any future tales. But by the time he would be permitted to visit, Denning would have already provided his statement to the press and the incident would naturally fade with that time. The foreman would be welcome to stop by only once things had calmed down and both Steve and Danny were feeling better.

Folding her legs into the side chair, Kono got comfortable in Steve's room. An HPD officer strolled by in the hallway as she pulled out her magazine. Chin would remain with Danny. And at that very moment, Denning was in the process of providing his private press release to invited members of the corps at his office; Walter Sandt would be noticeably missing and used as an example in Denning's speech. The thought made Kono chuckle happily.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Best wishes for a very safe, healthy and Happy New Year!
> 
> "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." ― A.A. Milne

**Chapter Eight**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny's restless sleep had become downright disturbed as the long night wore on and Chin alternated between using the cloth to wipe down his face or trying to talk nonsense to calm him. His temperature was normal and his blood pressure only slightly elevated, so it wasn't from delirious ramblings. And so Doctor Byrnes had blamed the restless body and seemingly upset murmurs to a series of bad dreams. But he hadn't been overly happy about the unintelligible and troubled tossing and turning; worried that Danny might strain his stitches or bang his arm. However, the pain medication was also strong and with the concussion, he preferred to avoid a sedative.

"He'll be fine." The doctor frowned as his patient stilled for a millisecond. "He'll calm down eventually .. it could be residual trauma from the fall .. plus any number of underlying stresses of course."

But after Byrnes left, Chin continued trying to soothe the anxious sleep and soon understood the true reason based on the few words he was able to just make out. Words like, ' _Grace'_ , or ' _can't,_ or even what sounded like ' _can't do it_ ' and ' _no time_ ' mumbled in an almost pleading, fearful voice. So soft, yet plaintive and it finally dawned on Chin that Danny's long buried worries were just under the surface. Weakened by his injuries and subject to the strong medicines, his unease was wholly due to the expectations he'd piled on himself and the custody battle for Grace.

"Easy Danny." Chin whispered with new realization as he laid the cloth over the stressed forehead and then gripped Danny's flailing fingers. "You'll have all the time you need with Grace. Always."

Some of Chin's soft words seemed to get through and Danny eased slightly, almost as if he were listening. More than half asleep, he muttered a distressed retort though and tossed his head as if arguing. " _What … who .. what if …?_ " The words were strung together in an anguished exhale and Chin moved to sit next to him on the bed.

He shushed him as he wiped Danny's brow. "None of that. We're all here to help .. we aren't going to leave you to handle this alone." And then he repeated words that he'd said once during Meka's terrible case .. the case where Danny's first HPD partner had been murdered. Danny had bullied the case to pieces, earning the respect of HPD as a whole when he identified the real mole hiding in HPD and then cleared Meka's name. But before that happened, Danny had words with Steve about his instincts, trust and Meka's innocence. And after Danny had walked out in a fury, Chin had tracked him down to offer his support.

Quietly and urgently, he whispered something that he hoped Danny would hear in his exhausted state. "Danny, it's Chin and like I said before, I'm in your corner one thousand percent. We all are. Get some sleep and just think about getting better .. Grace will be home soon and she'll want to see you."

There was a lull in the troubled tension that filled Danny's body and then a subtle sigh. A few minutes later, Chin was surprised and then pleased to see that something had in fact possibly gotten through as Danny truly stilled. Re-wetting the cloth a final time, Chin gently pulled the blankets up and smoothed out the mass of tumbled folds. He heaved his own concerned sigh as he settled himself down near the bed. Like Steve, Chin was always astounded by Danny's overwhelming and complicated sense of duty, responsibility and perfection … coupled with love for Grace and an unending loyalty to his friends, Danny was simply … uniquely .. _Danny_. Sometimes - actually more often than not - his own worst enemy.

He grinned at the finally sleeping man and shook his head fondly. " _You're giving your Ohana a run for their money my friend. But mark my words, we're ready for it_."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Long after that, Danny had woken two other times to finally realize that Chin was consistently present. His first disorienting awakening had him mumbling something about not needing a nursemaid. Chin should go home and get some rest of his own.

" _M'good. How's Steve .. Belle_?" The words were brief and softly sighed out as Danny fought to keep his eyes open. The first time, Chin had softly chuckled while he shushed Danny back to sleep with guarantees that everything was fine. He couldn't help the gentle reprimand for Danny to simply rest for himself though.

 _"Yeah, Steve's good. Belle is leaving for the mainland tomorrow .. so she and the baby are okay too. Stop worrying about everyone else .. just think about getting better Danny."_ It had been enough and Danny had then fallen back to sleep, but he was more aware this second time as he frowned up at his friend.

"Where is everyone? Why are you still here?" In a voice roughened by a combination of medication and sleepiness, Danny was demanding and he could sense that something was not entirely right with the world. In fact, he could tell that it was the middle of the night and Chin was painstakingly present - _again_. It didn't seem fair that Chin wasn't getting any rest but it was also worrisome that there was still no sign of either Steve or Kono.

As Chin explained what had happened, Danny slowly raised the head of the bed. And then he woke even more at the startling news. "Steve was admitted late yesterday afternoon after his follow-up exam. Even though HPD is here and yes … even though Denning released the press release … Kono and I decided to stay to make sure nothing else happens with you two."

Chin sighed with a thoughtful half smile as he snagged the remote from Danny to stop the nervous movement of the bed and to fix it at a comfortable elevated position. "He'll be okay if he follows doctor's orders."

Words like 'follow', 'doctor', and 'orders' lived happily in Steve's lexicon – but **rarely** in the same sentence, unless of course he was personally dictating their use or inflicting them directly on someone else – and certainly **never** would he allow them used against himself. The disgusted sound that erupted from Danny made Chin smile more openly as he raised his finger so he could continue without interruption.

"The doctor rattled him good about potentially losing the use of his hand. Permanently. It worked because Steve listened." Chin stressed the last word as Danny's eyes widened worriedly but he waited for him to finish.

"His hand was becoming infected and his temperature kept going up, so to be on the safe side, he was admitted. Intravenous fluids, badly needed rest and a stronger course of antibiotics. But he should be fine and he's just a few doors away with Kono. And according to Kono, he was out before his head hit the pillow."

There was really nothing to say about the frightening information. And with Steve accepting proper care, Danny could only nod in agreement as he closed his eyes. "I didn't know it was that bad."

His own migraine was peacefully now gone, but he was wide awake. He felt remarkably better even though various other aches and pains still echoed through his body.

"Do you need anything?" Danny opened his eyes to find Chin studying him closely and he waved off the concern.

"No. I'm good." Danny pointed towards the door and outer hallway. "You know … you should go home and get some rest. The reinforcements are here and neither of us will be going anywhere."

But Chin pulled up a chair and shrugged happily as he found the remote for the television. Truth be told, he was able to sleep just about anywhere and was completely content now that Danny had woken feeling better. "Nope. I'm good too."

So they channel-surfed aimlessly until Danny came up with a new idea. "Let's go for a walk."

Chin narrowed his eyes to gauge the seriousness of the sudden request. "Seriously? A walk? It's the middle of the night and I don't think you could take two steps without falling flat on your face. Besides the fact, I'm not sure you are allowed out of that bed yet."

"I feel fine." Danny turned his good hand over to demonstrate that he was free of impediments. "And I'm not hooked up to anything right now. Find a wheelchair .. I'm bored." His voice was pleading and his eyes were bright at the idea as he started to slowly kick the bedding off his legs.

"Come on Chin … what are we going to do, just sit here and stare at each other for hours?" There was a subtle lilt to the right side of Chin's lip and his own eyes began to laugh back which meant that Danny now had a willing accomplice. Earlier in the night, the doctor had removed the constant flow of fluids and had just left the port accessible in Danny's right arm in case additional medications needed to be administered. But he was at that moment, not hooked up to anything and no one was around to stop them. He hesitated briefly, but Danny's eyes were clear and a change of scenery might do him some good.

Chin groaned just once to half-heartedly object as he measured Danny's overall comfort level, but he was already on his way out the door. "Okay .. wait here, I know where I can get one." And then he was back seconds later with the wheelchair that had been left in Steve's room. Kono was stretched out on a short bank of chairs in the small waiting room, while Steve slumbered on with an HPD officer stationed just outside his door. No one had questioned Chin as he silently stole into the room and removed the wheelchair for Danny.

He had the same sly smile plastered on his face as he easily helped Danny slide over into the chair and then fixed a blanket over his lap. There was a slight wince stemming from his damaged rib where his chest was still sore, but Danny's mood improved even more as he settled himself. He tucked the sling with his broken arm into his lap and then considered his head which held a dull but very manageable ache before smiling.

"You okay? Still want to give this a try?" Chin asked quietly. "Not dizzy or in any pain? How's the arm?"

Chin waited and his expression warned Danny about lying or holding back, but Danny only threw Chin's own words back at him. "Nope, I'm good."

"Of course you are." Chin snorted warily as he wheeled Danny out of the room. They wandered slowly up and down the hallway and even took the elevator down to the lobby and cafeteria until Danny started to look truly fatigued.

"Still okay?" The warning tone was back in Chin's voice as he parked the chair near the nurse's station on his own floor. One nurse had looked at them curiously and made a face, but had quietly allowed the indiscretion. Now that they were back, she tapped her watch and glared at Chin. Her stern expression made him walk blatantly to stand in front of Danny with his hands on hips. And he cocked his head while he examined the injured man closely.

"I think we're done?" It was part question and half statement as he noted the tight-lipped stress around Danny's mouth.

Danny smirked as he agreed with the verdict before making an obvious gesture towards one particular room and then whispered, "I want to see him first."

Chin laughed quietly as he turned them towards Steve's room. "Why am I not surprised ... of course you do … but then, you've had enough and we're done before we're set upon by the locals." He said the last part just loud enough for the nurse to hear and her stern face softened into a smile.

Once there, Danny didn't speak as they approached Steve's bed. He was definitely out for the count and though Danny didn't know, Chin could tell that Steve was already improving under the aggressive care. The flushed, fevered look to his face was gone and his injured hand appeared to be slightly less inflamed.

He settled a restraining hand on Danny's shoulder as he tried to rock forward out of the wheelchair in order to stand. "Oh no you don't." Chin whispered in alarm. "Sit there! Trust me .. he looks better already."

Danny gave a scant nod as his gaze fell from Steve's face to what he could see of the bandaged hand and fingers. To him, the right hand held an angry red color and the base of the thumb was still badly swollen. And besides, it was after all, Steve's right hand and if it didn't heal ... it would be disastrous.

"That's better?" He whispered worriedly and Chin squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah it is Danny. Really." Chin stressed his words as the same nurse from the front station came in for her night rounds. She spoke so quietly, they could barely hear her words but it was enough and it allowed them to leave with peace of mind.

"Temps down to 100 degrees. Antibiotics are working .. he's much better. I bet he's even released sometime tomorrow." After her kind update, they sat there for a just few minutes until Danny's head began to droop onto his chest.

He barely registered that Chin had rolled him back to his own room until he felt the warm blanket leave his legs. The nurse was miraculously there for him too and Danny was soon relaxing deeply into plumped pillows. A cool hand brushed his forehead and then found his wrist to check his pulse. His temperature was taken and blood pressure was double-checked.

"Well, you're looking good. Anything hurting?" Danny wearily opened his eyes as the nurse pulled up the blankets across his chest. She was smiled approvingly and he grunted out a barely understandable negative sound to her question about being in any pain.

As Danny began to doze, Chin appeared in his bleary line of sight .. he was smiling as he lowered the head of the bed. The spontaneous tour of the hospital had been a good idea, for much of the stress around Danny's face had definitely eased. "Now get some rest .. think about getting well for Grace." There was a soft agreeable sigh to Chin's whispered demands as Danny's eyes closed and he fell back into a truly dreamless sleep.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"You're not actually going?" There was a wary concerned tone to Steve's voice as Danny wandered into his hospital room fully dressed. Only the shirt he wore on his back was newer. Borrowed from an HPD officer's gym bag, it hung loosely on his shoulders. But the pants were from the accident and they deeply smudged with dirt, grime and traces of old blood. He was leaning heavily on a cane and probably should have been in a wheelchair, but he'd been released to go home. He could easily read Danny's expression too and it clearly said that he actually wanted to go – in fact, he wanted to be alone. But Steve didn't personally believe any of what was happening to be the best of ideas.

He watched as Danny slowly sank into the chair nearest his bed. While his coloring was good, the bruising that peeked out from under his bandaged head was now impressively black with touches of a softer blue. He winced from the damaged rib and was carefully tucking the sling with his broken left arm close to his body.

"Doc said nothing was life-threatening and they couldn't do anything for me here that I couldn't do at home. I have all the pain meds I need to take if I need them." Danny had just eased himself into the chair near Steve's bed, but the SEAL was already swinging his legs off the side to stand with his I.V. pole in hand.

Danny was still talking but had closed his eyes as a slight twinge of pain moved across his side. "You on the other hand, still have a fever and need antibiotics for another day. How do you feel by the way?" He completely missed Steve's dark look of denial and the fact that he'd simultaneously rung for the nurse's station.

"Danny … I don't care what the man said. You can't possibly be serious about leaving this hospital. And then what .. going home .. _alone_?" And then he saw it again, the almost relieved look on Danny's face. One that said he wanted to think and consider certain things; stew and obsess on the custody proceedings and a multitude of other _things_. That same look held a glimmer of sadness though too, and Steve shook his head.

"Bad idea Danno. You're not going to be able to manage." Steve gripped the pole tightly in his left hand as he frowned down at Danny.

Kono and Chin had left earlier that morning to fly to Maui .. for there had been yet another fire. It had been set overnight and once again, at a historical site under renovation. The beautiful old complex had burned totally down to the ground; it was a complete and total loss. Either their man had an accomplice or it was an aggressive copy-cat and Chin especially now wanted to put this case to bed. The team simply couldn't afford to drop the ball as long as things were still in such a state of flux. The Reynolds flight had left two hours before and they were safely on their way back state-side. But Danny and Steve had been left in HPD's care until much later that evening when the cousins planned to return with their latest findings.

Danny tried to shrug off the decision. Other than needing to move slowly and take a few pain medications, he could sleep at home, recover in peace and so, didn't see the big deal. But he was intentionally avoiding Steve's pointed gaze and therefore, the real issue. "Hospitals do this all the time and if I'm going to lie around, I'm better off at my own place. One of our HPD guys can take me there. "

"That's the last place you need to be Danno. And you know exactly what I mean." Steve's words were worriedly hushed as he watched Danny look down at the floor. With Grace still away for the holidays and the focus of their last _talk_ , being alone in a small, unfriendly apartment was definitely a bad idea.

"Besides, there's too many stairs anyway. Not enough food in your fridge .. I've seen it." The number of excuses came fast and furious as Steve threw ideas and reasons out arbitrarily.

"You need to fill prescriptions … you can barely make it around on that cane. Of course, cleaning won't be an issue." And Danny rolled his eyes in disgust at the snide comment. "But how are going to make anything to eat? What happens if you fall down?"

As the list continued, Danny tiredly propped his chin on the palm of his right hand and closed his eyes while he listened to the never-ending tirade. During a lull, he snorted sarcastically and lobbed his own comment back.

"Anything else you'd like to add, Captain Cynical?"

The glare he received in return said 'not yet', since Steve was bound to think of something else or come up with some other reason to keep Danny under his thumb. But Danny was also justifiably angry as he pointed to Steve's bandaged hand because he knew his crazy fool of a partner would find some way to refuse medical care. His own voice began to rise as he guessed Steve's thoughts and narrowed his eyes as the SEAL quietly considered his injured hand and then the I.V. pole.

"You cannot risk yourself for one night Steven. So don't even think about doing ... whatever it is .. you're thinking about doing! And, by the way, I don't need a damned babysitter."

"What's going on?" The now not-so-tolerant voice of Doctor Byrnes echoed from the doorway as he entered the room. A nurse had come from the station, but upon hearing the increasing argumentative voices had instead retrieved the doctor.

"Commander Confidence here doesn't think I'm ready to be released." Danny drawled quietly as he challenged Steve with an annoyed look of his own. And then he waved his right hand in a neither here nor there sort of gesture. "I think he's jealous actually. I get to go .. he has to stay."

Byrnes pursed his lips as he looked from one man to the other, and then wisely stayed quiet. The way Steve's face darkened said that Danny was way off in that assessment and he listened as Steve voiced his real concern with a tone that mimicked Danny's own.

" _Alone_ Daniel … I don't think you should try to manage _alone_ for an hour, let alone twenty-four."

Though he didn't fully understand the full import of what Steve meant, Doctor Byrnes wasn't ignorant about his patient's needs and he made an unhappy face. "Based on hospital policy and Danny's current status, I have no recourse to keep him here. I didn't realize that you would be alone though, and I do agree that being on your own entirely as you recover will be quite ….difficult and even problematic."

Without being asked, Byrnes steered Steve back to the bed and unwrapped the bandaged hand. Re-checking the stitched wound, he found that much of the harsh redness had lessened. But he made a dissatisfied face over the ill warmth emanating from the base of Steve's thumb and wrist. Silently, Byrnes then once more took Steve's vitals and sighed heavily.

"Your temperature is improving but it's still elevated. A full degree either way .. could be very good or honestly, become quite damaging and put you back to square one."

"He's staying." The definitive word came from Danny as he struggled to his feet, cane in his right hand as he carefully made his way to stand near them. He peered over the doctor's shoulder to stare at the ugly wound and his face fell at the sight of the reddened, infected area.

"He's staying and he will be here until you say otherwise." Danny held up his hand authoritatively to forestall another outburst from his partner. "I'll go to your place okay? No stairs … stocked fridge .. sun, sand and surf .. what else could I ask for?"

Steve snorted in sheer annoyance as he met Danny's eyes. Sun and surf were the very least of his partner's wish list items, but Danny was at least trying to ease the tension in the room.

"Not good enough." Steve stated blandly as he saw the sadness lurking behind the blue and Danny's lips tightened angrily. Neither had brought up the cousins since they both knew the Maui investigation was critical. Interrupting Chin and Kono for this supposedly small issue wouldn't be appropriate so they just stared off at each other.

"It's going to have to be, babe." The soft challenge was clear as Danny cocked his head in Steve's direction and tried to ease his friend's mind. The tight anger lifted briefly as he calmed himself down. Each was only worried about the other, and Danny needed Steve to understand that he was actually better. Dan Reynolds had given him a new perspective on a few very important things; Danny only needed to rationalize them in his mind.

So he meant it when he quietly met Steve's concerned gaze. "I'll be fine. We're just talking a few hours."

And then Byrnes suddenly offered another possibility as he addressed Steve directly. "One more bagged I.V. drip would take approximately four hours to infuse. Finish what you're on ..that will take about an hour or even less. And then make me happy with another cycle and I will release you later this afternoon or by early evening."

"If ..now wait!" He put his hand up in warning as an eager smile broke across Steve's face. "Wait! The caveat being .. should your temperature actually rise … we would need to discuss this plan of action. It would negate my offer!"

"He understands Doc." Danny grinned back as he playfully poked Steve in the arm. "There ya go! I'll go to your place and fluff your pillows .. as long as you cooperate that is!"

But Steve lost his smile as he looked at Danny meaningfully and then checked the time on the wall clock. Another four or five hours in the hospital would be a much too long, exhausting amount of time for Danny to wait, so leaving now made sense. And having Byrnes meet them half-way was a distinct advantage.

"It's eleven now … I'll be there by six p.m. Danno. Count on it." Steve still didn't feel entirely comfortable as he watched Danny ask one of the HPD uniforms to drive him. If for some reason he didn't get released, Chin and Kono were scheduled to land at seven p.m. But Steve was worried about Danny being _too_ alone for too long a period with certain thoughts rattling around in his head. _Too alone_ with Grace still state-side for the holiday and the very threat that fact supported. The Reynolds' visit had helped a great deal but the old worries could return and Steve wasn't sure how Danny would deal with them now, especially after the accident.

But then a nurse arrived with a wheelchair, Danny was gone with the officer and Byrnes was settling him back in bed. The decision had been made and Steve looked at his bandaged right hand in disgust. It hurt and was still infected, but much of the swelling and heat had gone down. He just needed his body to cooperate as he demanded it to, so he would be released later that day.

Less than thirty minutes later, Steve was on his cell phone managing to smile at the mildly annoyed tone he earned when he pestered about lunch and Danny getting off his feet. But Steve could hear the weary exhaustion already creeping in from the short trip, followed by the pained edge that said medications were soon to be due.

" _Yes dear, I'm here safe and sound. The unit's still out front. I'm in the process of destroying your couch as we speak. And yes again .. soup's on_."

The call ended and Steve automatically looked up to visually measure the amount of drip left before the next full bag would be put into place. He estimated it to be less than ten minutes and even though the machine would beep on empty to signal the refill, Steve's hand was already poised to thumb the call button to the nurse's station.

Because in reality, Danny hadn't actually sat down on the couch or started lunch, in fact he never even visited the kitchen. Using the cane for balance, he aimlessly made his way out to the lanai to stare blindly at the distant pounding waves. However after a few minutes, he found himself pleasantly surprised as he breathed in the clean, fresh air. The beach front and all of its natural sounds were as equally soothing as the utterly peaceful silence.

"Damned island." Danny remarked to himself without meaning it at all. The comforting warm breeze shook the stringent antiseptic smell out of his nose and calmed his racing mind. He hadn't realized the sheer persistent volume of the near deafening sounds of mechanical devices that beeped, hummed and whirred at the hospital. The constant noise of people talking, walking and then coming or going to check on him. For once all of that more familiar, cold, hard noise was replaced by birds, the soft breeze through the few trees around the house, and the distant sound of waves crashing far away on the beach.

Danny carefully settled himself into a lounge chair and was soon lost in his thoughts about Grace, Rachel and the custody issue plus what they would do after the holiday. He ordered and prioritized them one by one and the mental exercise lifted his sadness away. But then he briefly switched over to Belle and the baby. The custody battle was softened by a new perspective related to what a real loss could mean and it strengthened Danny's resolve to do whatever was right for Grace.

There would be no winning or losing with Rachel since Grace wasn't a game that could be shuffled about or won or even lost. In fact, there was no losing, just different futures with different challenges. And he wasn't going to dwell on nasty _'what ifs'_ either because it was a waste of good time when he needed to use his energy constructively.

He eventually fell asleep in the shade with a soft smile creasing his face as he remembered baby Daniel's excited, questioning babble and his grandfather's happiness because like he said, _what was done .. was done_ .. and Dan Reynolds would make the happy best of whatever came next simply because it was the right thing to do for Belle and his family. And that in itself was a very comforting thought.

At the hospital when his own lunch arrived an hour later, Steve asked for extra ice and cold drinks. And when Higgins, one of the HPD officers poked his head in to say hello during the shift change, Steve asked him to lower the air conditioner just a few degrees. It might be childish, but Steve was going to make sure that his body's temperature duly cooperated to the full extent of his ability.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Walter Sandt watched from the deep recesses of a shaded wooded area as the two Five-0 officers investigated the still smoky rubble of the destroyed construction site. It was a shame really. Construction had been nearly ninety-five percent completed and half the luxury townhouses had been pre-sold. The new complex was situated in a pristine valley surrounded by a cool jungle more than half of which was preserved national parklands.

Walter had gone to Maui himself for a short personal reprieve after being ousted from the hospital and eventually released on the ridiculous charges. He knew from an overly talkative HPD officer that there was an issue with the Maui fires. An issue that was preventing the Five-0 team from pinning the first one, and now obviously this new second one, on the man they already had in custody. He'd gone on his own time, to rest but also to do his own digging, and then had inadvertently stumbled across the latest fire. His press kit had got him past the fire-fighters during the early morning hours as they fought to control the blaze. He had first impressions from a few, excellent pictures of the sadly burning buildings in all their fiery glory, and so an obvious exclusive on the continuing story. His editor was going to forgive his transgressions and shower him with journalistic love within the hour.

But when Kono Kalakaua and Chin Ho Kelly showed up, he'd dissolved into the background. Lingering, but only to watch and put together a few other assumptions as they poked through the destruction with the fire inspectors. Walter glowered angrily at Chin Ho's back. He was annoyed at losing the related piece of the Williams' story and the media card, but even more angry at being kicked off the Governor's press corps and his job was in acute jeopardy thanks to Kelly. He needed this hallelujah moment to salvage not only this continuing story, but his position and give him a toe-hold back up the ladder. Only divine providence had placed him in Maui at the exact same time of a second arson – he was the only reporter there and he would use every piece of this happy accident.

Sandt stepped deeper back into the fringes of the jungle to ensure he was concealed and pulled out his cell phone. He had his union insider on speed-dial and he called him now.

"Hey. It's been a couple of days .." Sandt hesitated and frowned as the man interrupted him. "Williams was released? But .. yeah .. okay.. yes it seems early based on his injuries .. but ..."

The news about the Detective was interesting, but not why he had called since that was over and he had a newer, more intriguing opportunity. However, he was forced to stop speaking again as he waited for the man to finish. "Thanks for the info .. but the reason I'm calling is about another fire on Maui .. I want an anonymous statement from you. With this new fire, will there be any new concerns raised by the union? If there's another arsonist, an accomplice let's say … Five-0 won't be closing this case. Will your guys walk off jobs again with new safety concerns?"

Sandt's flow of questions oddly sparked silence. His informant, Jack Miles was the crew foreman, was gregarious by nature and had always been a happy wealth of information but this time, he seemed immediately distracted and even evasive.

"Uh? Hello .. Jack?" Sandt checked the phone to make sure he was still connected; and they were. He heard a sharp intake of breath on the phone and the foreman coughed uneasily.

"Where are you Walt?" The unexpected question was whispered with a harsh authority, and it put Sandt immediately on edge.

"Maui. I took some time off after the Williams debacle. I was lucky enough to stumble across this latest fire." Sandt winced to himself. It felt wrong all of sudden and he almost panicked for the first time in a very long time. He had the feeling he shouldn't have told Jack where he was but it was too late now.

"Okay." The simple word gave him no room for anything and Sandt began to unconsciously sweat as the filtered sun trickled through the leaves of the tree he leaned against. In that one word, he was sure that he sensed a new threatening coldness.

"Umm .. so Jack, about being here .. and the latest fire .. can you comment on anything for me?" The only way he could think to recover was to reiterate his questions and stay on course. But Sandt was suddenly uncomfortable as other thoughts about who he might really be talking to began to take shape.

"No. I'll need to get back to you." And then Jack was gone and Sandt was left staring at his phone. The uncomfortable thought was that Jack was involved but he shook it off. He must have only gotten the man at a bad time. As foreman, he likely was only worried again about his livelihood and his men's safety.

But the hair on the back of his neck was up the entire time Sandt made his way back to the airport. He had the presence of mind to eMail his draft to this editor and included a few of the best images. The response was immediate, complimentary and gratifying but Sandt hesitated to celebrate. All of a sudden, everything felt wrong and overly suspicious; he felt as if someone was watching him and his growing unease made him look constantly over his shoulder. So his face was lined with stress by the time he walked up to the counter to book himself for the short Noon flight back to Honolulu. Based on the time, he had minutes to spare before boarding and he forced himself to calm down, blaming jittery nerves on his job and being up all night. Even then blaming it on fading adrenalin at his luck for being finally in the right place at the right time.

But he was brought up short just outside his flight's small waiting area and his body automatically reacted to duck behind a stanchion. Screwing up the dregs of newly doubtful courage, he peeked around the column and heaved in a shuddering breath. Jack Miles was sitting in the waiting area reading a newspaper and waiting for the same flight that Sandt had just booked. Sandt stayed hidden as the foreman looked up for the first boarding announcement and took his place in the short line. Unable to move, Sandt stayed there until the final boarding call ended and the doors closed.

He now knew that the possibility gnawing at him all the way to the airport had validity. Walter Sandt had a new problem and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it yet.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny woke with a start to a large shadow that loomed above him to block the sunlight from his face where he lay outside on the lanai. With a startled gasp, he suddenly came awake and accidentally rapped his casted arm heavily against the arm of the lounge chair where he'd fallen asleep reading papers from the arson case. The pain jarred into his wrist and it took his breath away as he rocked backwards into the chair with tears springing out from under his eyes. The jolt also tumbled the two file folders that he had on his lap to the ground and loose papers began to waffle away in the breeze.

"Steve .." Danny coughed out as he held his throbbing arm and then his aching ribs.

"My God .. Danno .. I didn't mean to scare you like that. What are you doing out here?" Steve's voice grated through his harsh pants as he cradled his arm against his body. It took a few minutes for the pain to ease enough for him to get his eyes open from the shock but Danny was still unable to speak as he tried to settle his breathing.

"What is all this stuff?" One-handed, Steve was sloppily gathering up the loose papers before they could travel too far and stuffing them messily back into the folders. An open HPD binder rested on the ground as well, half under the lounge chair where it's bound papers also fluttered against the metal clips.

Danny's face was screwed up in pain as he eased forward in the chair and watched Steve gather up the paperwork. "Case files." He muttered as he gently rubbed his still tingling hand. When he banged his arm, the pain had sent pins and needles directly into his fingers. But now sitting forward was worse as his ribcage joined the party in earnest.

Steve put the pile on the table and then shuffled awkwardly through a few of the top documents. "Case files? This is the deposition from the arsonist. And what we have so far on the first Maui fire. What ..?"

He looked questioningly over to Danny and then realized the trouble that his partner was in as he panted uncomfortably in the chair. Steve left the papers where they were to lean over Danny, trying to figure out how to help but becoming more annoyed by the minute as he took in the sight before him. "You've been out here all day? Working?"

The whitened knuckles of Danny's right hand were latched onto the arm of the lounge chair, but he couldn't quite make it to his feet. The paperwork had briefly distracted him but now Steve's original stirrings of worry came back two-fold. First, Danny hadn't answered the cell phone - a call he had made to let him know that he'd been released early. Assuming that Danny was merely sleeping, his worry sparked as soon as he opened his front door. The house was not only too quiet, it was far too neat and orderly.

His first unhappy clue was the couch which sat untouched and completely unused .. without a sign of blankets or pillows. The kitchen followed with its pristine sink. There were no dirty pots or dishes strewn about … nothing was out of place. Not a crumb to be found on the kitchen table. And when Steve found the unopened bag of medicine on the counter, frustration combined with rising worry and it had all sent him stalking out to the lanai. He had assumed that he'd find Danny dwelling at worst and hopefully only sleeping at best. But in his wildest dreams Steve didn't think that Danny would possibly be reviewing case files.

"You were _working_? Where did you get these files from, Danny?" Danny shook his head as he gritted his teeth to scoot closer to the edge of the low lounge chair as he tried to stand. With his chest seizing from another spasm, he sank back down again to hold his aching side.

He knew an argument was coming, but at that moment he simply couldn't get up. "Steve .. a little help here."

Wordlessly, Steve bent down and used his left hand to guide Danny's right elbow. The slight pained tremor made Steve bite back harsher words and managed a softer whisper as Danny readily accepted the help. "I can't believe this. Try again … on three." Once up, Steve held his arm tightly as Danny swayed on his feet and briefly closed his eyes.

"You okay?" He was vacillating between concern and downright anger as Danny stifled an injured groan and pointed to the ground. Steve sighed as he retrieved the cane from where it had fallen to shove it under Danny's right hand and then kept a firm hold of the shaky elbow.

"You missed your meds too, didn't you? And lunch …Danny, what were you doing?" His voice was soft but accusatory as Danny stood hunched over in pain uncertain if he'd be able to make it the short trip back into the house.

"I asked Duke to drop the papers off .. I got bored." Danny's voice was thinned by discomfort and he hadn't actually straightened up to begin his shuffle into the house. "And the Maui fire .. I wanted to see if I could catch up and put anything together before Chin and Kono got back. I'm missing something. But I guess I fell asleep."

Steve glowered at him as they worked their way slowly back into the house to settle down in the kitchen. He was almost relieved that Danny hadn't been obsessing emotionally about other issues, but throwing himself back into work also wasn't the right answer and Steve's clipped tone proved his level of frustration. "You fell asleep because you need to sleep."

On top of it, he'd fallen asleep without eating or staying on top of his pain medication schedule. From experience, Steve knew that Danny would be almost starting from scratch at keeping the skyrocketing pain from his injuries at bay. The whole point of a schedule was to manage the pain ... and right now, all the spasms, the sharp aches, and inflammation were all winning the battle.

"It's almost four p.m. I got out earlier .. you didn't answer the cell but I didn't expect to find you like this." He couldn't help raising his voice as Danny struggled to stay upright in the chair. But Danny needed food so he could take his medication and Steve needed him to hang in for just a few minutes.

His warning finger and demanding words got a quick understanding nod. "Danno. Just. Sit. There."

In minutes, he had pulled together a light meal and plunked a series of pills in front of Danny with a full glass of water. With orders to eat, Steve huffily readied the downstairs spare bedroom and then ushered Danny into it as soon as the last pill was downed.

Danny hadn't said much during the short time it took for him to eat and catch up on his medication. His discomfort was growing and he'd also been distracted by the files and then consumed by certain details about the Maui fire. Things that now seemed only mildly strange in the past were completely out of place since they had one suspect jailed – a man that was caught red-handed in the act.

But a few things held a new meaning based on this second fire and Danny felt that the Maui events were not those of a copy-cat, but definitely orchestrated by an associated accomplice; even possibly by another person masquerading as a construction crew worker to stay close to the action. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he gauged Steve's receptiveness to the discussion and then decided against it. Steve's worry and annoyance were rolling off him in waves, and frankly Danny was just too tired to get into his own theories.

"Thanks." He muttered softly, as he sank down into the deep pillows. Even one-handed, his partner was eerily efficient and Danny practically crumpled into the bedding. But Steve continued to stare at him with a mixed expression and Danny knew he owed him an explanation.

"Steve. I'm fine .. I figured out a few things when I first got here. The quiet helped .. it set some things right in my head .. and I'm honestly okay."

"I don't know Danny." Steve ran his hand over his face wearily. "Just like that .. with all you've been through, you're just going to say that you're good. A few hours of private time. And just like that … I'm supposed to accept it? And then I find you _working_ .. are you okay or only trading one problem for another?"

They knew each other well enough to understand what each was talking about and so, Danny only shrugged. "A lot of things were put into perspective for me the last couple of days. I'm not going to leave Five-0 .. I'm not going to traipse around the world after Rachel. But I will put up a fight for my daughter."

Danny set his jaw angrily while emphatically poking one finger into the bedding. His eyes never left Steve's face as he made his last point known. "However … not at her expense or my personal gain. I won't allow Rachel to play any games that hurt my daughter. And I will accept whatever happens at the end of the day and I will make whatever that is ... work. So yes, Steve, I am honestly good right now."

The determined tone was back and Steve relaxed to sit on the edge of the bed. Danny would stay and the healthy outlook was a complete relief. He allowed himself a pleased grin at the definitive words that confirmed Danny's commitment not only to his daughter, but also to himself. Gently, he found a spare pillow and raised Danny's casted arm to prop it up higher.

"Better?" He asked as Danny relaxed even more and nodded his thanks. His grin grew as Danny returned a genuine smile of his own making him feel as if he only needed to say one word before he would read his partner the riot act for not taking care of his injuries. "Good."

Danny melted into the pillows grimacing as Steve's face changed entirely and a finger was slammed into his chest. "Now .. if I catch you working again … and not resting, not eating or taking your meds .. we're going to have a real problem here Danno."

"Well about that ..I think that I missed something ..." Danny started to explain but failed to squirm up higher in the bed as his one-armed shifting pulled against his chest and shifted the cast. His face paled as another sharp twinge rocketed through his injured arm and he limply fell back to rub at the soreness.

Steve's disgusted look and his own aches shut down his plans to bring up his theories for a second time, so he pointed to the bandaged hand. "How's your fever by the way?" He offered weakly. "Seriously. Is your temperature down to normal?"

"I wouldn't have been released if Byrnes wasn't happy." The remark was completely sarcastic and Steve meant it to be the last words spoken so that Danny could rest. But without warning, Danny's right hand flew up to Steve's forehead and he had no time to duck from a father that was long-practiced in capturing a recalcitrant child's face. And as he did so often with Grace, Danny's measured hand caught the man totally off-guard.

"Hey, you're warm." Danny noted in confusion. "I thought you were supposed to stay there until it was perfectly normal. That, my friend is not a normal temperature."

Steve frowned as he yanked Danny's hand away from his cheek where it had drifted down to appraise the lightly heated flush. "I finished the last round of antibiotics and Byrnes was happy with the results. So yes, it's normal."

But Danny wasn't falling for it as he studied his friend's defiant eyes and then asked to see the bandaged hand which also held a trace of subtle heat. Steve grudgingly showed him the still slightly discolored fingers peeking out from under the bandage.

"Yeah, well you did something. What exactly .. I don't know." They stared at each other .. each daring the other to speak first .. and it was Danny that broke the silence. But he said something totally unexpected and Steve began to chuckle for it was very true.

"Boy, we are a pair aren't we?"

"I guess we are at that, Danno." Steve admitted, with a louder laugh at their mutual duplicity.

"So what did you do?" Danny asked with a sly grin.

"Ice cubes and cold drinks." Danny raised his eyebrows as he silently asked for more information. "I ate ice cubes all day and it worked .. surface body temperature went down just enough for Byrnes to approve. But I do have oral meds to take .. I'll be fine Danno."

"Yeah right." Danny mumbled with an impressed snort at the sneaky behavior. But he couldn't help glancing down to Steve's right hand and his voice switched over to a quiet seriousness. "We're talking about your hand here. It's nothing to play with and you know it. So humor me and call the man if you feel sick or if that begins to hurt more than it should. You can't risk the use of your hand, you moron."

"Deal." Steve stated dryly as he ignored the gentle name calling but then frowned at Danny's lined, exhausted face. The two of them were definitely equals when it came to particular behaviors and they were each calling the kettle black. If their mutual injuries weren't so serious, it would almost be funny. But Steve huffed out a sad sound as he tweaked up the blankets around Danny's chest.

"And you .. with Rachel and no …," Steve sighed unhappily as his mind skated to the terrorist scare. His voice dropped softly and he was almost whispering as he stared blindly at a spot on the blanket.

"No, I don't want to bring any of this up again. But are you really okay? You've had the weight of the world on your shoulders Danny. You've been there for everyone and everything and never once asked for help. You almost came to me too late as far as I'm concerned. But for as long as I've known you .. you have never once asked for help when you should have - when you could have - at any time. Not ever."

It was one of the longest outpourings of support and true concern Steve had ever shared. The sincere tone to his voice made Danny swallow hard past a new lump in his throat, and he managed a positive nod before being able to find his voice. "I know and you're right. But I'm not used to asking. I'm used to putting my head down and just _doing_. But yeah, I'm fine. Really, I am good now and I know what I need to do."

Steve smiled as he pulled up more blankets around Danny's shoulders. The strong medication was starting to finally work as the subtle pained tremble left his hands. And on a nearly empty stomach, they were making Danny sleepy as his eyes began to glaze and lose focus.

"Got your back, Danno. We all do." A slight appreciative smile lifted Danny's mouth and then it was gone as sleep pulled him under. Steve eventually stood and watched as the pained furrows eased across Danny's brow and his breathing evened out. He snorted softly as Danny slept; of course he would find a way to _work_. Though before, it meant that Danny was using the case to escape his exhausting personal worries and depressing thoughts.

But now, it was a healthier more natural response. It was Danny's nature to live and breathe every part of his profession, just as it was his unconditional nature to be there for his family and his friends. It was just the way he was wired. Steve could sense the difference .. showing interest in his work felt right and more normal. However, Danny needed to rest surrounded by his family in order for all of his aches and pains to heal.

"Get some sleep. We're here." Steve muttered needlessly as he left the bedroom. He wandered into his own room and checked the street. The HPD unit was still parked as it should be out front just in case prying reporters attempted another illicit visit. Such a thing was actually highly unlikely, but the unit would remain there at least until the cousins returned from Maui later that evening. They were scheduled to come directly to Steve's house after landing around seven p.m. that night. And both were more than capable to pick up where Danny had left off; in particular, Chin, who had been Danny's shadow for much of the original leg-work.

So, with a few decent hours to spare, Steve decided to take a nap of his own. He had a slight chill and a few sharp pains flickered through his hand. But after this last intensive I.V. drip, he wouldn't be due for the oral medication until much later that evening. Wrapping himself in a blanket, Steve rolled into his bed fully clothed and was asleep within a few short minutes.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Steve at least remembered to use his left hand to grope for his cell phone as it went off on his bedside table. His eyes were still closed and his head was muzzy from sleep, but he managed to find the device and by sheer luck, hit the right button. But his roughly mumbled voice barely sounded like a true hello.

"Steve? Kono and I just landed. Will be over within the hour." They were already walking towards the parking lot and Chin made a funny face at Kono as he mouthed the word _'sleeping'_. "You okay? Do you need anything?"

There was a grumbled cough as Steve noisily cleared his throat and then came more awake. "Good .. yeah, everything's fine. What time is it?"

"Seven. We're right on time .. and by the sounds of it, we should bring something to eat." Kono was smiling as she listened and then nodded appreciatively. If the two had been sleeping and hampered by mutual injuries, food would definitely be on the top of the priority list. And since neither she nor her cousin had eaten since lunch, an impromptu dinner would be perfect for everyone.

Danny woke to loud voices and it took him a few minutes to realize where he was. It was pitch black outside, but some light was making its way into the bedroom from the hallway. And that one fact made him roll over carefully even though he knew it would spark the healing aches and pains. Rather than trying to sit, he rolled onto his side to use his right shoulder and arm to leverage himself up to sit on the edge of the bed. Though the colorful bruising around his temple and cheek looked terrible, he was over the worst of the concussion and was now finding that his injured rib was his biggest problem. No matter how he sat, rolled or stood it always seemed to tweak painfully somewhere in his chest.

The cane was left within reach, just up against the bedside table. A glass of water sat next to three pills that were in a small dish also on that same table and he took the not so subtle hint that – whenever he did wake – he'd be due for his medications. Danny quietly appreciated the very thoughtful gesture because his side did ache and his arm held a dull throb. And it was twice as kind since he doubted Steve felt very well himself.

Abiding by the silent demand, Danny swallowed the pills and then made a face as Kono's voice echoed from the kitchen. His frown deepened because it sounded like an argument was well in progress. A few minutes later, he made his way slowly into the brightly lit room where Chin, Kono and Steve were wrapping up left-overs from an elaborate take-out smorgasbord. While the table was cluttered with bags, cartons and containers; the sink was full of dishes and a delicious aroma of Chinese food was still lingering in the room. Unwilling to stand up straight, he leaned on the cane to take his weight off the pinched feeling from his injured rib to use it mostly for balance. But his stomach growled hungrily as he eyed the spread and what looked like a full plate set aside just for him.

"Hey!" Kono called out happily as he rounded the corner. Danny looked at each team member suspiciously and took note that the conversation had completely ceased as soon as he entered the room. "How do you feel?"

For the moment, he answered the question truthfully and added a genuinely pleased smile. "Not too bad actually. Starving." Her quick hug was careful and also served to pilot him to a chair where Chin unwrapped the still warm plate heaped high with Chinese take-out.

Steve was lounging against the counter with his good arm unconsciously tucking his bandaged wrist to his chest. "Eat then. You've been sleeping for a good five hours and barely had lunch. I left your meds upstairs … did you take them?"

After a brief nod of thanks, Danny studied him closely to take in the moody expression, protective stance and much too glassy looking eyes. So instead of addressing his partner, he lobbed his fork at each cousin.

"Chin, Kono … which one of you is taking him back to the hospital?"

"Daniel."

The one word was a snipped warning from his partner however, Danny merely raised his eyebrows and then leveled a not so tolerant gaze at the stubborn man.

"Steven."

He had to bite back a smile at the stand-off, but Chin managed to throw his hands up in the air sarcastically to rejoin the fray.

"And there we have it. Kono?" With a flourish, Chin pointed from Steve to the front door and Kono jingled her car keys in her hand.

"I'm ready." She said lightly with a shrug as she put one hand on Steve's shoulder. But Steve had just about anchored himself to the counter top as his entire team revolted against him.

Danny's eyes began to laugh as he took a huge bite of Chinese noodles. Yes, the two of them were quite the pair but even Danny knew when it was time to intervene or even when to give in and give it up. And he knew that Steve likely realized it now too; it was the public acknowledgement that would be the issue.

The argument and Kono's raised voice were directly related to Steve's complete disagreement that in fact, his temperature had taken a turn for the worse. The oral antibiotics might not be enough and he needed to see Byrnes as soon as possible. After the cousins had called, Steve had made his way downstairs in a bleary haze. He was shivering and knew without looking at a thermometer, that his ploy had back-fired and he'd need to return to the hospital. But he had forced himself to have a cup of coffee and a slice of toast in order to take his antibiotics in a vain hope that they'd do some good before the rest of the team arrived. It hadn't worked though and Kono had found him dozing on the kitchen table with his forehead resting on his arm. After unpacking the food and beginning to eat, his lack of appetite had provoked the discussion and finally the raised voices after Chin had insisted on taking his temperature.

Steve settled himself more firmly against the counter as Kono failed to rock his body forward. "I just took antibiotics before you all arrived. Give them a chance to work." But she shook her head in disgust as she pinched Steve's clammy t-shirt and then eyed Danny for help.

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Danny got to his feet and then into Steve's limited space. His position against the counter actually now trapped him in a corner and he had nowhere to go with Kono on one side and Danny standing directly in front of him. As he realized his mistake, Danny had already gently taken his injured hand.

"Let me see it." His angry hiss over the heat emanating from Steve's fingers didn't brook an argument. "It's hotter than before and your thumb is swollen. What did we talk about?"

"It's fine." Steve grumbled weakly as he snatched his hand back.

"No, it's worse. And you know it." The soft tone combined both a plea and a demand. It made Steve sigh because he knew that the argument was lost. Danny was right, as were both Chin and Kono. A visit back to see Doctor Byrnes that very night was inevitable.

And Chin was already shaking his head and holding up the thermometer as proof. "We've already called and Byrnes is working late tonight." Chin explained as the three effectively cornered their boss. "Temps back up to 101 degrees. The doctor's waiting .. like we were just discussing, Kono will take you and I'll stay here with Danny. I can catch him up on what's going on with the case."

Before Steve could complain about him working too much, Danny was pushing the injured man out the door flanked by Kono. "Talking is not the same as actually working ... and I might look worse than you on the outside but my friend, you can't argue this one."

A few minutes later, Steve found himself unhappily seated in Kono's car with a small overnight bag. "Be a good boy Steven." Danny remarked dryly, but his eyes were full of concern and that at least made Steve give pause to any further snide comments.

"No office." Steve warned him with a side-long look towards Chin. "He's on sick leave ... " But with a firm slam, the car door was closed, his words were lost behind a now muffled voice, and Kono was soon backing out the driveway.

"So." Danny glared warningly at Steve's perturbed expression through the windshield of the car before turning towards Chin and slowly making his way back into the house.

"Tell me. What was your day like?"

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

He was saved. Sandt didn't know exactly how he would use the information yet, but he was most definitely saved. He was sitting in his office going through the images he'd taken in Maui. He sent three along earlier with his article to his editor. Two focused on the fire-fighters and the scope of the blaze which were both startling against the night-time blackness. The third was of the aftermath and included the back of Five-0's Kelly as he surveyed damage with the inspector. But now that he was home and could page through the multitude of other images, Sandt smiled and relaxed.

In the background of no less than five images, Jack Miles' silhouette could be seen on the fringes of the grand event. One picture in particular clearly showed his face illuminated by the distant flames as he stood near other gawkers. And he was grinning.

Sandt didn't think that Jack yet suspected he knew about his involvement but if he were to find out, he had proof that would put the foreman at the scene of one of the largest fires to date. Something he had denied knowledge of.

And if worse ever came to worse, Sandt would tip the scales and offer his source up as additional validation. He would publish the photos and even provide them willingly to Five-0. But he began to wonder now about the man already being held in custody and exactly what their relationship was ... how many fires did Jack start personally and why? In fact, rumor had it that the man in custody was denying past involvement.

Chin Ho Kelly had linked their suspect directly to all the fires in fact, except for the first one in Maui. Five-0 had proof but Sandt wondered if Kelly had begn to have similar doubts or new questions based on this latest fire. Sandt paged through the photos that included Jack Miles and he paused again on the one capturing the smiling leer. Pulling a stunt like this second fire was very bold indeed especially with the supposed primary arsonist already jailed. But what if Jack was the mastermind to a larger scheme?

Sandt pushed back from his desk as he studied the images on the screen; he was completely at a loss as to why or how Jack Miles would be involved. The foreman was well liked and good at his job. He'd been a decent, reliable source of information for weeks on end. It was a strange and unnerving turn of events but Sandt was already dreaming about exclusives as he considered ways to find out what really was going on.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"I find it interesting that our boy in custody is denying his association to the other fires." Danny said as he and Chin reviewed the deposition at Steve's dining room table. They had logged into their work network using Chin's laptop to access even more filed records.

"We caught him red-handed, but he's insisting that he was set up for the others. And yet .. he has no alibi and refuses to name an accomplice or explain how he might have been set up."

"It's confusing. He's going to be charged in the first degree in at least two of the cases based on the intent to harm human life. He seems ... honestly .. absolutely petrified .. out of his element." Chin admitted. "And we never had him on the first fire on Maui. This second fire is odd too .. he was obviously jailed .. it certainly proves something more is going on here."

Danny nodded sullenly as he distractedly checked his watch for the tenth time. "His attitude is nothing short of contradictory."

"He used ordinary gasoline for the fire ..you and Steve caught him at .." Chin hesitated because once more Danny was checking his watch. It had been nearly two hours since Kono had left with Steve and they hadn't heard word one from the hospital. He made a face about that himself as he added a key point.

"All of the other fires were set with more sophisticated accelerants - even the two on Maui. It's a significant change from the M.O. of all the others. The inspectors agree that four of the five fire profiles match."

The soft noise Danny made indicated that he agreed. Of the now five total instances of arson, the M.O. on four matched perfectly and he was obviously incarcerated for the most recent blaze on Maui. And other than catching him in the act, the one man they now had jailed and in custody didn't match the profile. If not for the timing, it could be a totally standalone and unrelated event.

"Let's start over. Something doesn't feel right." Danny stated as he considered the facts. "There's definitely another one out there .. it's not a copy-cat. If anything, the guy Steve and I arrested is the copy-cat or something else entirely. And maybe it all is too clean .. much too easy ... the trail of evidence to him ... I mean, if he doesn't match the profile? We need to take a breath and step back for a minute."

The case had become full of factual discrepancies. Though the evidence was almost ironclad against the man they'd caught in the act, the fire inspectors themselves were placing doubts through their own findings and expert profiling. Leaning back in the dining room chair, Danny massaged the fingers of his left hand. He was also becoming tired again and worried about the lack of communication from Kono or the hospital.

Chin caught his eye and pulled out his cell phone to call Kono as Danny finished his thoughts. He was talking almost to himself as he closed the file folders and disconnected Chin's laptop from the network connection. They needed to stop for the night, but he had one ear cocked in Chin's direction. "We can review everything tomorrow starting with the very first fire. We'll walk through each one ..."

He stopped his mumbling as Chin held up his finger since Kono had answered her phone. "So cuz, what's up there?"

Danny watched worriedly as Chin's face sobered and he had very little to say. "Alright. Keep us posted."

"What?" It was the only word that Danny could force out after the call ended.

"Kono says the doctor thinks it will be okay." The caveat was weakly stated and was meant to offer some comfort but Chin was clearly upset. "The wound has abscessed and they've had to pull the stitches. A drain's been inserted at the base of Steve's thumb."

Danny's eyes widened at the news and he felt the shock into the pit of his stomach. A higher temperature he expected; even a stubborn infection he had fully expected. But this? Danny didn't even know that something like an abscess could happen and it sounded disastrous. "Tendons? Are the tendons involved?"

But Chin didn't know as he rubbed his face wearily with both hands. It was bad enough when the team dealt with Danny's injuries from the stairwell collapse. Fearful waiting for him to awaken and to finally hear from the doctor's that he would be fine.

And Chin looked at him now - arm casted, slightly hunched over from his injured rib, and then his badly bruised face partially hidden by bandaged stitches of his own. A face which was now pale and lined with stress yet again. But he was sure that he just about looked the same way as Danny.

"I don't know. I don't think they even know yet .. at least Kono didn't say." He shook his head in confusion as he sighed out the words. It was almost odd to be worrying about Steve because a few stitches in his hand had seemed so very innocuous.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Yadda Yadda Yadda about medical stuff, arson stuff, fires, etc - Google and then much artistic license. Read/take with block of salt/enjoy!

**Chapter 12**

Danny knew that Steve was going to kill him if something worse didn't happen before he saw him next. **_If_** he ever saw him again. After visiting Steve in the hospital, Kono had gone to meet with the fire inspectors again. But not only had Danny and Chin gone to the office to review the data about the first instances of arson, he had been pleased to see his Camaro sitting in the parking lot.

So after lunch and with Chin grumbling about it, Danny had insisted on driving himself back to his apartment to rest. Yes, he had gone to the office and then had even driven his own car. And to make matters worse, Danny had also received a call en route to his home. He had switched gears to meet with Walter Sandt at a deserted waterfront warehouse. On top of those two major transgressions, Danny had committed a third by agreeing to a quick meeting with the reporter which had now gotten him into a load of trouble.

He coughed miserably and felt the hot wetness on his lip where he left it to dry this time as strength failed him. His right hand was cuffed to a large pipe and he'd had another coughing jag after vainly trying to twist the metal out of where it ran into an old, rusted elbow junction. Blinded by the darkness and deafened by the sheer silence of the large warehouse basement, Danny huddled on his knees against the cold concrete wall and closed his eyes in exhaustion. He couldn't help wheezing as he tried to pull in more of the dank air into his tiring body. It also hurt to be on his knees, but the position alleviated at least some of the pain in his chest and improved his breathing.

And on his knees in the complete darkness, he was actually happy that he couldn't see Sandt's body where it had been tumbled down the short staircase. Small shivers started to wrack his body and he knew for certain that Steve was going to kill him.

"Or Chin." He muttered out loud with a coughed, strangled laugh as he envisioned Sandt's broken body just a few feet off to his left.

"He's not going to be too happy about this either. But this wasn't supposed to happen. Right, Walt? A quick meet and greet .. that's all this was supposed to be."

Sandt had been nervous, possibly even frightened when he asked to meet Danny alone. " _I have something to show you .. it's important. Critical even to the arson case and it won't take long. I want to give you a few photos, some information .. it's important._ "

That very morning, the Five-0 team had all convened in Steve's hospital room to read through the latest article and pictures that had been published by Sandt's publication. It obviously was a big enough story to make the front page and they had spread the paper out over Steve's bed. But each person had been surprised by the vivid description and full color shots of the blaze. Coverage had always come after the events … or at least well into when the last hot spots were being doused by the fire companies called to the scene.

 _"How did he get these? Why was he there?_ " Steve had muttered thickly from where he lay with intravenous fluids and stronger antibiotics running into both arms. His hand was propped on a pillow and very lightly covered with gauze which was changed out often for the oozing drain to do its job.

It would take longer to heal and would scar, but the technique would purge the infection and prevent damage to his tendons. The infected area of his hand was also being wrapped in warm toweled compresses up to three or four times a day to assist the healing process. The compresses eased the sharp pains and by the second one, Steve was looking forward to the third. But that morning, Steve was only asking the same question each of his team was thinking quietly to themselves. He saw Danny's wheels turning viciously in his head and a warning finger came up.

" _If I'm stuck here Danno .. no office. I mean it .. let Chin and Kono handle this._ " Instructions were given to Kono to follow up with the fire inspectors and Chin would take Danny home to rest. But of course, they'd gone to the office. Danny had insisted that they go just for a few minutes; those minutes had turned into a few hours of rehashing the data collected from the initial fires.

And when Danny got the phone call later that day, he was surprised and then eager to voice that very same question to the much too lucky reporter. " _Were you tipped off about this fire_?" He had blatantly asked the man as he made a u-turn in his car to back-track to the warehouse. " _Because no one has ever gotten this close before. And I for one, can't understand why you were even on Maui. So maybe it's about time you told me about this inside source of information?_ "

" _No! At first I thought I was just at the right place .. at the right time. I was taking a short vacation. But now .._ " Sandt was on edge and stuttering as he repeated himself. " _Just please .. meet me in twenty minutes._ "

So Danny had grudgingly agreed and left a brief voicemail for Chin that he'd be picking up something from the reporter which was related to the case before actually getting home.

" _Jack knows that I know .. do you understand?"_ Sandt blurted out. " _My wife received a very threatening call this morning after the paper hit the stands. The tires on my car were slashed outside the office in broad daylight. He wants me off the island or worse … and .. he means business._ "

" _Jack? As in Jack Miles? But you don't know why?_ " Danny wasn't sure he believed what he was being told. He and Chin were coming to the conclusion that it was an insider, but Jack Miles hadn't even made the first draft of their short list.

" _The guy went from an inside source representing the Union and concerns of his own construction workers, to saving a woman and her child … to an arsonist?_ "

And then he had been handed a manila envelope with photos Sandt had taken from all of the various fires and a memory card that held those same images plus much more information. He was mulling over the reporter's startling words, his take on the latest Maui fire and subsequent odd call to Jack when the first shot rang out to echo across the warehouse.

Sandt was in the process of throwing his hands up in the air in bleak frustration as Danny frowned in disbelief. " _He's the only one it could be. He's been my source .. I called him about the latest fire in Maui .. things have gone down-hill since._ "

And that was exactly when the first shot had rung out. Sandt had frozen mid-wave and then bolted, wide-eyed towards the door. But another shot had rung out and he'd staggered forwards to cough out a shuddering loud exhale as if he'd been punched.

So Danny knew now that not only was Sandt right, Steve was going to hand his very head to him. That was if something worse didn't happen before he was found. Danny sagged wearily in the old basement and cradled his casted arm against his rib that seemed terribly out of place.

His right hand was handcuffed above his head to a rusted pipe as he knelt in a filthy pool of stagnant water. Sandt had been right because even though he had tried to meet in a remote location, Jack Miles had been following him that day. He had witnessed the brief conversation with the Detective and seen the envelope change hands. A fatal shot had rung out from the dark recesses of the warehouse and Walter Sandt had gasped and then fallen into a limp heap onto the concrete floor. One hand had vainly groped behind his back as a growing red stain seeped from between his shoulder blades.

Danny had dropped the envelope to reflexively hold his good hand out to Sandt when the man reacted so fearfully to the gunshot and whatever danger was approaching from behind. He had meant to grab them both to safety, but then had awkwardly ducked down in alarm when the second shot felled the reporter within two running strides.

He'd gone for his gun then, but a third shot had rung out to strike the concrete at his feet stilling any possible movement. Danny froze with his hand up when the barrel of Jack Miles' gun was pressed firmly up against the back of his head. A large hand came over his shoulder to yank his gun away where it clattered to the ground. And then that same hand roughly gathered up the material of his shirt at the nape of his neck. Jack hadn't said a word, but the kindly giant of a man had been replaced with an angry bear that was now unrecognizable as he bodily forced Danny down into the depths of the warehouse.

"Hey, Jack .. do you want to talk about this?" Danny had puffed as he used one hand to guide himself down into the darkness. But the man hadn't answered, as he roughly flung Danny to the ground. He had lost his footing on the wet-slicked floor, falling painfully to his knees and hitting his chest hard into old metal duct-work exactly where his broken rib creaked and groaned under his skin.

The breath had been knocked out of him and he'd been unable to move from the pain that sky-rocketed into his chest. Something had popped and his first wheezing breath was more of a coughing moan as Jack physically dragged him by his right hand to the wall. Using Danny's own cuffs, he anchored him to an old pipe.

The man had rudely frisked him, making him flinch away in pain when Jack angrily slapped his chest and ribs looking for keys, cell phones and additional weapons. He had paused once on the steps to glance back towards the fallen Detective. "I liked you .. felt bad for that girl and her kid ..none of that was supposed to happen .. but Sandt got too close .. and you .. I can't take any more chances."

"You _like_ me?" Danny blurted out with a sharp incredulous laugh. "You _like_ me? If this is liking somebody buddy .. I'd love to know what you do when you despise a person."

Jack looked down briefly at the gun in his hand, almost in remorse as he glanced once towards Danny. He seemed to weigh shooting the Detective right there, but he abruptly turned and kept going up the stairs. "I think you know the answer to that already. I set fires Detective Williams."

The bland remark silenced Danny's growing rant as he watched the big foreman turn and walk up the stairs. "Yeah, I set fires when I hate .. fires that destroy but also cleanse. But today, no one left me any choices."

And then Jack was gone, slamming the old door at the top of the stairs and plunging Danny into complete darkness. A few minutes later, Danny blinked dismally into the light as the heavy door opened at the top of the stairs. There was a loud shuffling noise as if something was being dragged to the top landing.

"Hey!" Danny called out wincing as the pain of his shout rattled his chest and provoked another cough that became a painful jag. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and groaned at the blood he saw smeared onto his sleeve.

But he looked up in shock as the shuffling noise banged louder above him and Sandt's dead body came sprawling down the short steps towards him. Before the door slammed shut again, Danny registered that Sandt had fallen on his stomach, with his head banging into the very last step. He was dead of course, but the position reminded Danny of his own accident. Except this time, he was seeing it happen to someone else and that person was already gone.

"No." Danny whispered to himself as another loud bang hit the closed door, followed by another solid thud. And if at all possible, the basement became darker and even tomb-like. He envisioned Jack Miles sliding or moving something heavy to block access to or escape from the basement and wondered why the man had even bothered.

Danny was trapped and no one knew where he was. Chin would at least miss him and wonder why he hadn't called back after the meeting with Sandt. He'd try Danny himself and get voicemail and of course, eventually worry; but Danny wasn't sure when that might happen.

"Come on Chin. It's been a while already." Danny mumbled under his breath to send out a feeble, mental plea and then shifted uncomfortably as the puddled water seeped into his legs and shirt. Not only filthy from years of accumulated muck, it was miserably cold and added to his body's shocked system.

After another agonizing bout of coughing, Danny forced himself more upright from where he had sagged back onto his heels and used the wall for support. More water began to seep into this pants through his lower legs. And he was severely hampered too by the cast on his left arm. He panted heavily in an attempt to purposefully gather his remaining energy and bottle the pain into the farthest corner of his mind. With a determined expression, Danny once again began pulling and yanking on the pipe with his cuffed right hand. The pipe was rusted and old; with luck he might be able to shift it out of where it led into the crumbling concrete walls or even break it where it joined at a bent coupling.

The metal bit into his wrist and he felt the bruising rawness beginning but he kept going. Using his body's weight and ignoring the pain it caused in his chest, he lurched backwards to apply pressure against the old pipe. Little by little, fragments of concrete and rust fell from both the pipe and the wall. It was moving loosely now in the wall and against the elbow junction where the pipe had actually shifted into itself, but it still wasn't enough to actually break free.

Danny tried for many minutes until his wrist was openly bleeding. But the exertion brought on another severe coughing spasm which left him completely spent and nearly unable to breathe. Limply leaning up against the wall, he closed his eyes and wiped his face in his sleeve. It took longer this time for him to rally; longer before he could marshall up fading reserves to focus on his weakening attempts to break free.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

After shoving Walter Sandt's body down the stairwell and into the basement, Jack Miles ignored the faint shout from Danny. He turned to heave and push one very large metal cabinet and an old wooden desk in front of the door. Both effectively blocked it from view and even if a person were hale and hearty, it would be impossible to budge the door open from the opposite side.

The one thing he hadn't counted on was the long, smeared trail of blood that led right up to the barricade. He studied it now and it sickened him but there was nothing more to be done.

Jack sighed as he began to survey the old warehouse with a practiced eye. The back faced the water where goods had been loaded or unloaded from its old docks. But in its most former dismal life, it had been used as a storage facility for what appeared to be a variety of different house-hold commodities. Sections of it still contained piles of old wooden pallets; mounds of broken down cardboard boxes that should have been recycled; and miscellaneous barrels and shipping crates that could very well hide other combustible contents. He had more than enough tools at his ready disposal.

After following Sandt to the complex, he had watched the reporter park and then had driven along the broken fence line to leave his own truck on an old deserted, dirt access road. He'd jogged back diagonally to that one building and hidden in a darkened corner to wait and see who the reporter intended to meet with. And Jack was both surprised and saddened to see the Five-0 Detective enter the building.

He knew that he had scared Walt, he just didn't think the man would immediately go to Five-0. He had wanted him to drop the story and move on … the trail against Jack was heating up quite literally and after that final job on Maui, he would have been done for his goal was very specific. But the reporter was as doggedly determined as the Five-0 Detective and Jack had only wanted to ruin his father's development company; the same company responsible for the housing and redevelopment boon on the Islands.

Jack had been disowned from his wealthy family as a teenager; a long-lived Bostonian family that had amassed its vast wealth by buying, renovating and selling large commercial properties. Through his early years, he'd oddly focused on construction jobs to get by and found the manual labor both exhilerating and rewarding. Working as a tradesman, he'd gone up the ladder to finally hit his stride as a union leader. He'd changed his name long ago and was living a simple, happy life until recently when his family's name had resurfaced across the Hawaiian Islands. Resentful for working on reconstructions and developments for those that effectively hated him; he set about ruining them financially. And what better way than from the inside .. looking out.

The man that Five-0 had caught in the act was neatly tied up in a bow for them to convict for the bulk of the other fires. Planning in advance, Jack had hand-picked his pawn from the loose band of day-workers that came and went so often on his construction job sites. The man he picked was destitute and could almost be classified as a gypsy drifter. He was desperate for extra cash and could keep his mouth shut. So when the Detective began to close in on Jack Miles, the foreman began to lay the seeds against the drifter. In fact, the only fire for which he was truly responsible, was the one that Jack had paid him to set at the construction site where he was working that day.

By working on site with his crew as witnesses, Jack was absolved and it had worked beautifully to a great extent .. except for the woman and her child. In fact at first, Jack had truly been mortified to see Belle and her baby, however saving them in person had been the icing on the cake.

The two Maui sites were the last ones to target and he had needed to do those himself. He understood that it would be suspicious and intended them to look like copy-cat criminal acts. But he was furious that Walt had been there and then called him for information. Stunned by the quick call, Jack was caught completely off-guard and sensed that the reporter not only had more - he also knew much more.

Working fast now, Jack jogged out to Sandt's car and using a large bay door, drove it into the depths of the warehouse. The Camaro quickly followed and then the Jack the Arsonist got to work at his craft.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Chin saw that he'd missed Danny's call just as he exited the shower. He wasn't surprised since he was due to pick him up for a drive back to the hospital. Instead of listening to his messages, Chin immediately tried him back first and frowned when the call when directly to voicemail. As he dressed, Chin checked his own messages and listened to Danny's almost apologetic voice briefly describing a quick meet with Walter Sandt to pick up some information for the case.

_"I'll call you back when I'm done with him. Or call me. I won't be long, buddy. He seems nervous about something but only mentioned some interesting photos from Maui."_

The call was short and Danny sounded more put-out and bored, than actually worried. For all intents, it was just a simple rendezvous with the reporter. And while the man wasn't their most favorite person on earth, it was nothing that hadn't been done in the past. It was more than likely a good will gesture to get back in their favor .. a first step to getting back on the Governor's Press Corps list. But for Danny to not call back as promised .. and for Chin to not be able to reach him? That was different and also becoming quite disturbing.

"Now though?" Chin's frown deepened as he quickly redialed Danny's phone and it once again didn't even ring. Danny had left the message thirty minutes earlier and the meeting should have well been over. Something suddenly felt very wrong and Chin began to pace his kitchen as he considered the possibilities.

Yanking out his wallet, he thumbed through a few pieces of paper to pull out Sandt's own business card. As the case progressed, they had shared cards and contact information. So if he couldnt reach Danny, why not call the reporter directly? But the hair on the back of Chin's neck stood on end when Sandt's cell phone also didn't ring. Falling right into voicemail yet again, Chin's worried pacing intensified.

On impulse, he speed-dialed Kono and promised to beg Danny's forgiveness later if he was wrong. "Hey, Kono. Where are you right now? I think we have a problem .. I can't reach Danny and he was supposed to talk to Walter Sandt this afternoon. We're due back at the hospital too .. I have a bad feeling."

He was relieved to hear that she was at HQ, wrapping up her reports that she'd revised based on meeting again with the fire inspectors. " _I'm almost done and was going to grab a bite to eat. Then meet you guys at the hospital."_

 _"Isn't he supposed to be home and resting? Why is he meeting up with people? He's driving?"_ Kono muttered her list of questions in complete annoyance as she multi-tasked and then stopped when she heard the stress rising in her cousin's voice. _"You think something's wrong? It's just Walter Sandt .. he's a pain but .. trouble?_ _"_

"Yeah. So do me a favor," Chin quietly said as he inwardly winced at the idea and soundly berated himself for allowing Danny to drive his own car for the supposed five minute drive from office to apartment. But the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was genuinely off and he needed to be sure.

"Pull up the GPS on the Camaro .. tell me where he's at." He waited impatiently, hoping she would give the address to Danny's apartment. He was on the move though out his front door when he heard the startled tone to Kono's voice.

"Where Kono?"

 _"Industrial Drive .. some warehouse .. Sand Island. Why would they meet there?"_ Chin's eyes widened in surprise as the feeling worsened. "Meet me ... we definitely have a problem."

Ten minutes later, Chin accelerated to dodge in and around rush hour traffic. Kono had arrived first as smoke was billowing out of the old windows and main loading dock bays. A passer-by had called 911 and fire-trucks were arriving which made it difficult for Chin to hear Kono's frantic voice which ended on a loud sob.

_"Chin. The warehouse is in flames ... the Camaro .. it's inside .. Fireman are trying to get it out ... but Chin, I can't find Danny ..he must be inside."_

He was about to say that he would be there in less than two minutes when he heard the explosion over the air. Kono yelped in fear and he heard more yelling in the background as firemen reacted.

"What was that! Kono! What was that!" Chin was shouting into the phone as he screeched into the warehouse lot to find her staring blankly at the raging fire. The cell phone was still connected to his own but held limply in her hand. The singed Camaro was sitting by a fire truck where a fireman had rapidly backed it out of the interior.

"Kono?" Terrified himself, Chin's voice was soft as he prompted her and took her phone to end their call.

She shook her head as she stared at the flames. "There was a second car inside ..that blew up before they could move it .. they got Danny's car out though .. but ... he's. They don't know .. I don't know." Kono's eyes welled with tears and Chin found her sobbing in his arms. Over her head, Chin watched the flames and organized activity around them as another fire truck and new crew arrived to help take on the large blaze.

Chin froze as four fireman came around the side of the building carrying what looked like a body wrapped in two large blankets. She had felt him stiffen and he tried vainly to prevent Kono from turning around to look. "Kono ... wait." He muttered but she had already pulled away.

"Can't be. "She stated firmly. "No. That's just not right .. it can't be. No." Chin grabbed her waist as her knees weakened and the four men laid their load on the ground.

Chin's stomach lurched and then twisted as one of the fireman searched them out and sadly motioned them over. Kono pulled away from him roughly this time to back up, still shaking her head and whispering _'nonono'_ over and over again. But unable to stop looking at the blanketed form, Chin was forcing himself to walk forward and then kneeling down to pull back the blanket to reveal the face.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny was pulling himself up to his knees in order to brace one foot against the wall to try breaking the old pipe again when the first explosion hit. Whatever Jack had done was virtually on top of his head and the concussive wave sent Danny rattling backwards. His wrist twisted painfully within the cuff as both the ceiling and walls shuddered violently to shake and old fixtures buckled. When the man-made earthquake stopped, Danny lay on his back staring up into the darkness.

For a minute, he felt absolutely nothing as bits of ceiling rained down on him and he closed his eyes to avoid the worst of it. And Danny lay there stunned and unable to move until the pain washed over him and his chest seized so badly that he actually put his right hand across his face to make sure nothing had fallen on him in the darkness.

He coughed heavily only to gag on the foul tasting wetness that rose in the back of his throat. The sensation made him roll onto his side which sparked new pain and he groaned in frustration as he forced himself onto his one good hand and both knees. His casted arm automatically tightened against his side in a vain attempt to support his side. And then somewhere in his confused brain he realized that he shouldn't be able to do what he was now doing as he spat what he knew was blood into the puddle he was bent over.

With an effort he sank back onto his heels and raised his right arm to find that the only one metal cuff remained attached to his wrist. The force of the explosion had broken the pipe or had propelled him back hard enough to break whatever piece he had managed to weaken earlier.

"Huh." It was the only bewildering sound he could come up with as he knelt there in the wet murky darkness. His body was trembling and for some reason he thought of the reporter. In a haze, Danny jangled the remaining links of chain that hung from the cuff and glanced over to what he thought was the right direction to address the dead man.

"What do you think of that, Walt?" It was almost funny but Danny closed his eyes to give in to the exhaustion that crept around him. It was so easy to just huddle there but his awareness was slowly coming back along with the distant odor of smoke, followed by a rush of sound coming from above him. The sound was loud and it fluctuated almost like a subway train. And it was getting so close, that the first tendrils of heat were starting to move around his body.

The heat was coming down from above and definitely teasing the left side of his body which was the same direction he was sure Walt's body lay crumpled on the stairs. But oddly, his right side felt a cooler breeze that was strong enough to ruffle his hair and it held the faint scent of a cleaner ocean. There was a loud crack from the ceiling and he kept his eyes closed as he breathed in carefully through the pain in his chest. Another series of loud pops forced him to blearily consider everything that was now happening around him. Sluggish wheels in his head finally started to turn as a stronger smell of acrid smoke reached his nose.

"Fire." He blurted the word to himself as his instincts to move and get away kicked in. In the darkness, Danny blindly searched for a wall or table that he could lean on to help him rise to his feet. When he found what felt like a shelf, he heaved himself up and swayed as a dizzying spiral of agony laced through his chest almost taking him back down. A stray voice whispered in his head and Danny paused to smile. " _You can do anything Daddy_."

"Hey .. Monkey." Danny whispered as he instinctively went to the right where he first felt the cooler breeze touch his skin. "You better be right baby."

The breeze was light but it touched his face as he staggered closer to it, using whatever was in his path to keep him upright. The scent of the ocean grew and it began to over-ride the fearful stench of smoke. Danny could feel that the fire that was closing in not only from above him on the main floor, but also from behind. Grace kept him moving along with Dan Reynold's encouraging words that meant he should never give up. The fire hadn't reached him yet and he had time, so he used Dan's words to take advantage of the time given to him. Danny pushed himself hard ignoring the pain in his chest. Only hesitating when a spasm took his breath away completely. The struggle to breathe though was worsening with every step and it threatened to undo his resolve.

"Not. Yet." The words replaced Grace's whispers as he spied a splinter of sunlight. But another explosion, one that was a bit farther away and deeper in the recesses of the building, made him stop with his hand over his head. He stopped and blinked through falling pieces of dust, dirt and decay to make sure that the light was still there. But he half-expected the ceiling to come down in a ragged, tumbling mess of wood and concrete. When it didn't, he moved forward again until his knees began to sag from the exhausting toll on his body.

With the increasing heat behind him, the promise of light and the soft breeze also kept him moving when it tickled his face and moved through his matted hair. He finally blinked up in disbelief at the obvious sliver of light as his right hand hit a railing and his toes tapped into the bottom of a step.

"Not. Yet. Just .. more." Danny groaned as he dragged his flagging legs up the short flight of stairs to lay his right hand on the door. He was heaving in short spurts of air now with an alarming loudness while the cough had become a retching gurgle. With another groan, Danny turned the handle and it simply opened to the short side of the old dock. He stood there in shock blinded now by much too bright sunlight and sparkling dots that danced across the water.

 _"I told you Danno. I did."_ Grace was back and her happy words gave him the strength to stumble around the corner of the building towards the parking lot. Straight towards the sounds of fire trucks, men yelling and utter chaos.

"Not. Yet." And the now silent mantra combined with Grace to make him round the corner of the building at a lurching half-walk. What he saw was back-lit by a raging inferno but his eyes skittered across the moving mass of uniformed and helmeted bodies until he saw Kono and then Chin. She was standing with her back to him, and both hands looked as if they were covering her face. Danny didn't understand why Chin was on his knees surrounded by fireman and staring at a blanket.

He raised his right hand and tried to call out but failed miserably as a wet gag brought him to a stumbling halt. Impossibly small amounts of air were entering his lungs and he felt sucker-punched as his knees finally gave out. But that happened just as a fireman looked up and pointed in his direction. Danny registered that the man was shouting at him and that people were finally moving towards him. In a daze that was narrowing to a dark pinpoint, he saw Kono turn around and then she was running towards him with Chin following.

Her arms encircled his quaking body as he gagged and coughed blood onto her blouse. It hurt too, but he didn't care. Danny tried to move away and apologize for bleeding, but Kono only held him tighter as she screamed for help. He wanted to tell her that he couldn't breathe, but she already seemed to know that too. And then Danny wanted to ask her why she was crying .. what had he done to make her miss him so much. But his eyes closed too soon as she rocked him gently down to the ground.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

The team wasn't speaking to each other but mostly because they didn't know what to say. Kono's eyes were still glistening with tears as she blindly stared out a window at the night sky across the city. Chin was pacing the hallway, while Steve alternated between a quiet fury and a near crippling concern aimed at himself, at Danny, his entire team - at everyone in the world, and yet at no one at all. Each wanted to be alone in their thoughts but physically, they needed to be near each other's comforting presence.

Kono broke the silence eventually with a soft mystified statement. "This shouldn't have happened." She turned around to face Steve who grimaced at the blood stains that heavily marked her right shoulder. The material of the blouse had dried with a hard, stiff looking texture.

"You should go .. take a break and get cleaned up." He was pointing to her shirt but Kono was still momentarily confused until she followed his finger. Her hand shook as she first brushed at the dark smudges before going to leave the room. But Steve moved to block her so he could place a steadying hand on her shoulder before she even got to the door.

"He's going to be okay." Kono nodded at his rough whisper but she refused to look up as her chin began to tremble in earnest. It was enough for Steve to gather her into his arms as tears once again streamed down her cheeks. From his chest, Kono mumbled her fears over and over as she replayed the scene from the fire in her head.

"I .. _we_ .. thought he was dead. And then it wasn't even him." Kono's voice cracked at the memory of Chin pulling back the blanket to identify the body brought out of the burning warehouse by the firemen. How so very frightened she had been, and then the absolute relief. But a micro-second later, the fear echoed back stronger than before. Each emotion replacing the other so quickly she couldn't even think straight.

"But then .. when it wasn't him .. that was no good either. It meant that Danny was still _inside_." A sob broke out which made Steve close his own blurry eyes as he painted the scene in his mind's eye. The intensity of the flames, an explosion and then the terrifying possibilities of a draped body.

"What if .." Steve only mouthed the words into the air above her dark hair. Words she couldn't hear for her tears and mumbling. "What if .. but it wasn't, Danno."

All of it was so vivid after Chin described it in such overwhelming detail. Hopes dashed once, then recovered but only to be completely trampled again with a new realization. And then _Danny_ ... Danny had miraculously just shown up. Appearing out of nowhere .. covered in filth and blood .. not unscathed, but very much alive.

Kono's voice ended in a choked, exhausted note. "And then he was just _there_ ..he just was _there_... I don't understand what happened."

Steve nodded as they stood in the somber room. He sensed that Chin had stopped his pacing to stand uncomfortably in the doorway. Each blamed himself and yet never each other for what had happened to Danny. And Danny would likely roll his eyes and flail his hands to deny each of their feelings of guilt while he severely lectured them about what had been his own choice.

"He was just getting information .. from a reporter. It shouldn't have taken more than five minutes. Just _pictures_." She also couldn't get over the fact that the arsonist was the friendly construction foreman. She had spoken to him when he called the hospital and he had seemed so genuinely concerned about Danny's welfare. She refused to listen to Chin about neither he nor Danny considering the man a suspect not only for those very reasons, but also because there had been no hard evidence. But she was taking their latest knowledge very personally.

Steve continued to look over the top of Kono's head as her muffled voice vibrated softly into his shirt. He studied Danny from head to toe where he lay slightly elevated in the hospital bed. His face was too white under the oxygen mask and he hadn't moved a muscle in the many hours since being rushed there. Intravenous lines were dispensing various fluids to prevent not only dehydration, but infection and inflammation. A diuretic was prescribed to conversely reduce fluid buildup. It was a system-wide balancing act that was being constantly monitored to ensure that Danny's lungs didn't fill with fluid and yet, his organs didn't fail.

His body was completely still but he was alive. For some reason, Steve thought of Belle and baby Daniel. He smiled slightly at the memory of the baby's laughter and how it had lit up Danny's mood. In fact, too many other good things had happened and the memories made Steve pull back from Kono to catch her eye and his voice was more confident. "He's going to be fine. And he's going to wake up."

But Kono had been in the ambulance when the emergency room and the paramedics jointly determined that Danny was suffering from a tension pneumothorax. She at first had no idea what the much too technical jargon meant and then cringed when they explained it to her. He had been steadily losing the struggle to breathe because air was collecting in the space around his lungs. Already desperate, he'd begun to crash on the gurney with a rapidly dropping blood pressure and time was of the essence. Devastated by the fire and what she thought had happened to Danny, watching his life and death struggle in the ambulance levied another blow on her failing courage.

The medics had worked quickly while telling her that his previously injured rib had definitely punctured his lung and air was accumulating in his chest cavity. They explained that he was also at risk for one or for even both lungs to collapse and they simply couldn't wait any longer. So she had watched in horror as a paramedic was given direction by the E.R. to do a needle decompression directly into Danny's chest wall to alleviate the air and its painful debilitating pressure. But that would only be a quick fix until a chest tube could be properly inserted at the hospital. And one had indeed been inserted where it would remain for up to the next two days if there was still any evidence of an air leak. And if that should be the case, than additional surgery had been already been mentioned.

"It was terrible." Kono mumbled now, still hiding her face in Steve's chest and not daring to hope that he was right because the experts had yet to say any promising words as they reviewed and then re-assessed result after result.

"I know." Steve unconsciously nodded again as he voiced his understanding but by now, they were all worn out and had run out of things to say. He knew what Kono meant though because he had seen it done and had even done it himself in particular situations. The process was abrupt and aggressive; while it was life-saving, it was completely traumatic to the uninitiated.

And for Steve, Chin's first phone call had been equally terrible. Calling Steve from the car, his words came out in a frantic rush as he explained that he needed Steve to get down to the emergency room because there had been yet another fire. A fire in which Danny had been injured and at first, Steve wasn't completely sure that he heard him right. Still slightly fevered, it had made absolutely no sense and Steve had sat stock still in his hospital bed as he tried to wrap his head around what Chin was saying.

But something in Chin's voice finally made him move. The plea that Chin stuttered just over the blaring sound of the ambulance he trailed just a few feet behind. " _Steve? Are you there? Did you hear what I just said? Meet us downstairs."_

At that, he threatened the nurse that was in his room so loudly, that she didn't think to hesitate in removing his I.V. Seconds later, Steve was throwing on clothes from his overnight bag and running down to meet the ambulance. He got there just as Danny's gurney burst through the doors and he immediately knew it was bad .. no, it was worse than _bad_ based on the tears flowing down Kono's face.

 _"What the hell happened?"_ Steve had grabbed Kono's arm and she turned just enough to see the blood on her blouse. There was a heavy odor of bitter smoke lingering around her and the paramedics. Her wild eyes and tear-stained cheeks, causing him to immediately drop his hand as they both jogged to the trauma room. Chin had gotten there too and the three stood shoulder to shoulder just inside the room to watch the emergency triage.

Steve had raked his shocked eyes over Danny's body to take in the wet, dank clothes and the volume of blood that seemed to be dripping down his face and onto the front of his shirt. The short, shallow and all too frequent panting wheezing sounds which he knew meant a punctured lung and not enough air. Danny couldn't breathe and they all listened as the doctor asked the technicians about the success of the needle decompression. But their answers and his examination of his patient made him immediately work on inserting the chest tube. Kono had clenched her fists as if feeling Danny's agony before mumbling what both men already knew.

" _He couldn't breathe .. they said he's got air in his chest from a punctured lung. He ... couldn't breathe."_ Chin had stepped forward to put a calming arm on his cousin's shoulder, but she shook him off not wanting to be touched or soothed. Only needing to make sure that Danny kept breathing.

Another doctor was on Danny's right side and he had looked up to the team to ask a question and that's when Steve had finally seen the handcuff. " _Do one of you have a key for this? We could cut it off ... but I'd rather not. It's gotten so tight and it's cutting in to his skin."_

 _"What happened .. why ..? Tell me something!"_ Steve looked from one to the other as his voice began to raise in volume. And as the doctor gently held Danny's mangled wrist, Kono stepped forward with a key, biting her lip in order to focus just on the cuff. Ignoring Steve's alarmed questions and fixing her eyes on the cuff to just get it open. She had wanted to remove it in the ambulance, but the crew had advised her to wait because of the swelling and how it had cut into Danny's skin. But her hands shook and she almost couldn't find the right spot to release the pin. And then before being gently told to move away, she stood there watching as the doctor carefully removed the metal to reveal more of the deep discoloration and sluggish bleeding. She vaguely heard Chin tell Steve that they didn't yet know really what had happened, but it was obvious Danny had been intentionally trapped .. cuffed somewhere deep in the building, but he had managed to escape.

After that, they'd been forced to leave as the emergency room team attempted to stabilize their latest patient. In the waiting area, Steve had found his voice to pepper the cousins with angry, demanding questions that they could barely answer. But calls from HPD began to come in to Chin's cell phone almost immediately as evidence was uncovered; the first confirming again that Walter Sandt had been shot once in the back. Initial opinion from Max was that he'd died from that fatal wound and not the fire. But then the manila envelope had been found and its damaged media card was sent directly to Charlie Fong.

Steve was angry as he briefly listened to Chin make his own demands of HPD to obtain Sandt's work equipment and anything of value from his office. And where he was in a temper, Kono was quietly melancholy and Chin was possessed by a guilty cloud that sagged like a weight across his face and shoulders. But the distraction began to serve them all well and soon the outer waiting area had been transformed into a small Five-0 war room. The space was soon vacated and given a wide berth by patient's families and hospital staff alike as the team actively managed and delegated various demands across their network.

Further explanations and descriptions were cobbled together as reports came in including confirmation that a blood trail that the fireman had followed did in fact bring them to Walter Sandt's dead body. They had moved a barricade to find the body sprawled at the bottom of a basement staircase. Updates came in from Charlie Fong with his excited success at being able to salvage something of value. And from Sargeant Lukela, that he was getting full cooperation from Sandt's editor and publication. Less than an hour after that, the details came together to identify Jack Miles as their suspected arsonist. The declaration brought them all up short in their makeshift office space but then they were all once again in rapid motion. Notifying agencies, contacting airlines and sending out bulletins to every law enforcement officer on the Islands with a frenetic urgency.

But the most startling news was that Danny had indeed broken free from where the arsonist had left him trapped. After extinguishing the blaze, the firefighters had done a last sweep of the warehouse. Going back to the basement, they found a bent and mutilated pipe on the floor and in a puddle of water. When they brought it into the light, they were shocked to see that the shiny piece of metal wrapped around it was the other half of a police regulation handcuff.

Following what they believed was his path out of the building, they weren't sure at first they were correct. In his injured condition and barely able to breathe, Danny had actually _walked_ the entire length of the old warehouse in pitch darkness to escape through a distant, side exit door.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Now in a private room in the ICU, Danny was listed in critical condition. The doctors were aggressively monitoring his oxygen levels combined with the ability to breathe on his own. Their initial course of action was to provide Danny with oxygen through a mask that was placed over his mouth and nose. But if this didn't keep his levels high enough, they would need to resort to a flexible breathing tube that would feed directly into his windpipe.

When the doctor described it all to Steve, he had needed to sit down at the mention of the breathing tube since that would essentially mean that Danny would be placed on a ventilator. It didn't only mean that he wasn't getting enough oxygen, it also meant that his lung was more seriously injured than anticipated; it meant that Danny was too weak to breathe naturally. It meant that he might not wake up for a much longer period of time and not one person in the tightly knit team was ready for that. But an oxygen mask was different and it proved that Danny could in fact, wake up and Steve had tried to challenge the doctor with that very statement.

 _"He's breathing now. And he could just wake up."_ Steve stated. The words had made Chin lean forward in anticipation, while Kono held her breath. However, the doctor had hesitated and then frowned at the three expectant faces.

" _If you mean tonight, no it's not likely .. he's been through a severe trauma."_ The doctor had been astounded from the start by Danny's condition and then what his patient had been reported as doing in order to save himself. He was completely unbelieving of what Chin and Kono insisted Danny accomplished in escaping a fiery death-trap.

_"No. That would have been impossible in his condition .. there is absolutely no feasible way this man could have done anything like what you're describing under his own power."_

So as he then tried to negate Steve's words about Danny awakening that night, he only managed to foul the team's already sour mood. " _You should all get some rest. Don't expect any miracles tonight._ "

And with that, the doctor left the room to the three resolute team-mates. " _He's so wrong_." Kono murmured quietly, just loud enough for Steve to hear. _"Danny did walk out by himself .. and he did really walk that far .. and he will wake up too_." The disgusted edge to her words had made him grin, but just for a minute.

That had been two hours earlier and now they were still together waiting for Danny to awaken. Tempers had eased and moods had leveled, but the stress was palpable. Heaving a sigh, Steve looked down at Kono as she stepped back.

"Kono .. go get changed. Before he wakes up." He repeated himself tiredly as she gathered herself together. His own hand hurt and he knew that Byrnes would either come himself, or send a nurse for his continued treatments. But for now he would stay and without a word Kono nodded in agreement. She used her already soiled sleeve to dry her face and then silently squeezed past her cousin as he re-entered the room.

"You should go too .. take a break." Steve didn't turn around as Chin came up alongside him. He rubbed the area around his bandaged wrist and then massaged his forehead that was heavily lined with a much too weary sadness.

"And this isn't anyone's fault. Least of all yours, Chin. You found him .. you guessed it and then you found him." He looked down at the man who's shoulders were still drooping and he was surprised to see the vehemently shaking head.

"No. He got out. By himself. And he would have .. with or without me or any one of us being there." Chin stated bluntly. "It was _done_ before we even got there, Steve. If anything, he and I should never have gone to the office today. And I never should have agreed to him driving. If we'd been together for Sandt's phone call .. only then would all of this have been a totally different story."

"Sure it could be different. You both could be hurt .. or worse." Steve offered suddenly. His anger flared once more, and Steve turned his frustrations out on Chin. "So, yeah this is done. Alright? It's _done, over_ and he's going to be fine." To his credit, Chin didn't even flinch as Steve raised his voice but he was still denying the words.

"Walter Sandt is dead, his wife is a widow, and the arsonist is still out there. Jack Miles is still out there. We aren't going to be really done until we bring him in."

Their hopes had been high after a fireman had found the manila envelope. The photos were completely ruined but the damaged media card had been sent to Charlie Fong for analysis. HPD had sent officers to confiscate Sandt's work computer and to accumulate all of his available files. And with the help of his very stunned editor, they had recovered every single piece of the reporter's information. After that, there wasn't a person close to the case that hadn't been surpirsed to learn that Jack Miles was not only as Sandt's insider, but also their primary suspect.

However, they already couldn't find him. In the short time it took for the information to be assembled, Jack Miles had very possibly left the Islands. He had vanished under their noses.

Chin walked over to lean over the bed. Danny's left arm had been x-rayed and recast. That, along with his head injury, were both mercifully fine. Nothing had been rebroken and he'd not sustained another concussion. Hidden under sterile soft gauze, his right wrist though was a torn mess of damaged flesh and swollen bruising. Chin looked bleakly down at the dark bruises on the back of his hand and swollen fingers. The fact that he'd been so determined and desperate to escape troubled each of Danny's friends to their very core.

But the unseen trauma to his chest and lungs was the real issue. Chin took some comfort at least in that Danny was breathing more easily as pure oxygen was forced into his system at a slow, gentle rate. He was still pale but the rapid panted strangle had long ago eased and his blood pressure had begun to improve and stabilize. He'd been cleaned up and looked more peaceful under fresh bandages and soft white blankets.

Steve audibly sighed and Chin glanced behind him to watch him sink into a chair. Once again, his own injured wrist was cradled up against his chest and his eyes were wearily closing. He was better, but not quite released from the hospital. And even Chin expected a nurse to show up under orders to track down the wayward patient for a scheduled compress and to hook him back up to his own cocktail of I.V. antibiotics and fluids.

Carefully, Chin found an open patch of unblemished skin on Danny's upper arm and gave him a kind squeeze. "You did good, Danny. I don't know how you got out of there .. but you did. It's nothing short of amazing and right now, that's all that matters to any of us."

He waited for something then. Some response from Danny because he too felt that he would wake. But when nothing happened, he took a seat next to Steve and closed his own eyes.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Hair still damp from a shower and carrying a cardboard tray of coffee cups, Kono returned to the hospital scarcely forty minutes later and hesitated when she saw a doctor at the foot of Danny's bed reading his chart. The room was darkened for the late night hours, so it took her a minute before she recognized Doctor Byrnes's silhouette.

"That was quick." Chin remarked quietly. He opened his eyes as he heard her light footsteps approaching and was relieved to see that she looked at least more refreshed from the short break. He then cocked his head towards the corner of the room and offered her an explanation about what had been going on since she first left. Steve sat dozing in a larger hospital side-chair as a nurse applied warm damp compresses to his wound.

"Doc Byrnes came looking for him. Steve's hand looks good and he may take the drain out tomorrow. But his temperature still isn't exactly normal so he plugged the IV back in, and then arranged for the nurse to do the rest here. But I think Steve likes the spa treatment a bit too much. It makes _not_ being released just a bit more palatable."

The comments got her to smile just as Steve's head jerked up off his chest when the light doze threatened to become an actual nap. The nurse had a series of warm towels that she gently wrapped and then re-wrapped around the healing wound. Kono thought that the process would hurt, but it was obvious that Steve found it blissfully soothing on the healing wound.

But Kono was puzzled because Byrnes was not typically in the ICU. "What's he doing?" She whispered softly and so the doctor wouldn't hear her as she selected a coffee for her very appreciative cousin and then took one for herself.

"He knew something had happened today, but he didn't know about Danny. He was very surprised when he found us all here." The simple explanation was enough as she watched the doctor review the charts and then check the various machines. She relaxed slightly appreciating the fact that Byrnes genuinely cared since Danny's primary doctor in the ICU hadn't been the most understanding of men.

When Byrnes seemed satisfied he smiled to each of them as he left, but at the doorway he waggled a meaningful finger in Steve's direction which he barely caught in his weary state. Steve rolled his eyes almost petulantly while the nurse grinned as she began to clean up the used towels and ready new bandages to redress the wound. The silent warning meant that his AWOL patient needed to keep the IV in place, as well as get badly needed rest.

With not much to do, Kono took some comfort in that Byrnes had evidently found nothing wrong as she sat next to her cousin. But there was still a subtle air of expectation in the room and it made her look once towards Steve and then glance to Danny before settling back in her chair to study her coffee cup. From what she could see, Danny hadn't moved and nothing much had happened in the short time she'd taken away from the hospital.

Something had actually changed though, and it was only that they hadn't yet noticed. Danny's eyes were mere slits as he gamely tried to get his blurry vision to focus in the semi-darkness. Partially reclined to aid his breathing, he had a decent view of the entire space if he chose to move his head, which at that moment simply seemed too difficult. So he lay there not thinking or moving, just slowly blinking heavily lidded eyes that eventually wandered down the blankets on the bed, to its lower frame, and then slowly up the shadowed white jacket of a vaguely familiar shape. Danny squinted as the shape turned and then silently walked away out of his limited line of sight. It wasn't threatening so Danny just accepted it as the quiet of the room began to help guide small bits and pieces of information into his beleaguered brain.

He didn't yet remember the details around what had happened, though part of him knew that he was in a safe place and that was most important. He realized that his chest was uncomfortably tight and he closed his eyes briefly in confusion as a not so distant memory of acrid smoke lurked dangerously in the background. That brought to mind the excruciating pains accompanied by a panicked feeling of suffocation and then the faintly remembered taste of blood.

Danny considered it all and then compared the current tightness in his chest to those feelings. It felt like a tight rubber-band was around him and it became much worse as he failed at taking a deeper breath against the pressure. The sharp pain was immediate and it left Danny laying limply with his eyes closed to breathe through it. When it passed, he went back to the much shallower, short breaths that he had been taking. But with the disconcerting feelings of gagging and almost suffocating so near the surface, the fact that he could still breathe at all was calming. And it was then that he noticed the pure air circulating constantly around his nose and mouth at an easy, steady rate.

' _Oxygen mask._ ' The knowledge came unbidden into his head and he congratulated himself at the small success. Perhaps not fully remembering, Danny was beginning to understand that he had made it out of something terrible and that he was safely being cared for in a hospital. Too many other darkly disjointed memories were creeping just out of touch and below the surface of whatever drugs he'd been given. Rather than trying to conjure them up, Danny allowed the peaceful awareness of warmth and comfort to take over any of the more ominous feelings.

" _Kono_?" The surprised puff of air that escaped his lips was barely audible as it briefly fogged the oxygen mask and his brow furrowed. A splintered blur of fire, blood and Kono crying entered his head quite unexpectedly and the stray memory caused him to blink his eyes partially open again. Feeling uneasy, his hazy gaze fell to the new white cast encasing his left arm. Slowly, Danny moved his head just a few inches to then look at his right hand. He frowned in confusion when he didn't see the blood he half-expected to find. Instead, there were clean white bandages circling his wrist but even in the semi-dark of the room, he could both feel and see the aching puffiness in his hand. A tentative twitch of his fingers proved that he couldn't actually make a fist either because of the badly bruised swelling. An image of handcuffs, more blood and metal merged together and he puffed out another confused exhale of air.

His lethargic body, combined with an uncooperative fuzzy brain, made Danny's short sojourn to consciousness completely exhausting. So with a promise to think harder later, Danny was more than willing to give into the pull of sleep as his eyes began to drift shut. As he began to ease back down, he registered movement in the darkened corner of the room. It caught his attention and he realized that he could just pick up the soft murmur of conversation. The familiar, deep timbre of one voice droned over a softer female voice. The new sounds in the nearly silent room crept into his ears and the swollen fingers of his right hand picked reflexively at the bedding. With his eyes closed, Danny turned his head slightly in the direction of the deeper tone and then was disappointed to find it gone.

A few seconds later a calm, warm touch settled on his right arm and surprised, his fingers moved again of their own accord. And when the same pressure tightened comfortably, it made him fight the desire to fall asleep though he remained reluctant to open his eyes. A third weak puff of air clouded the mask and he frowned as the breath tightened the painful imaginary band that lay across his chest.

"Danny?" Steve breathed out his name as a question and very softly. He wasn't sure if he was seeing anything and because of that, was hesitant to alert either Chin or Kono. Steve looked closely at Danny's right hand as he gently grasped the lax arm and then dared to smile as a frown deepened the lines in the pale face. Seconds later, a genuinely relieved smile slowly reached up to Steve's eyes as Danny lazily peered up at him through heavy lashes.

"I thought so." Steve whispered happily as he leaned over the side rail of the bed. He had stood with the nurse as she left after bandaging his wrist and then glanced automatically towards Danny. Not expecting anything, the breath had caught mid-way in his throat. He'd slowly walked over with his I.V. pole in tow but without a word to the cousins. He had stayed quiet; completely unsure if he had really had seen the bruised fingers flexing or noticed the faint toss of Danny's head.

"Hey … Danny." Steve kept his hand wrapped around Danny's arm as he raised his voice to encourage him to stay awake. When the eyes threatened to slip closed so very quickly, he gave him another urgent squeeze. "Danno. Hey. Hang on, okay? Can you do that?"

There was the briefest of nods as Danny struggled to do what Steve asked. And then Steve gave him a lop-sided grin because of the partially hidden bewildered expression on his partner's face that could have also been tinged with a trace of guilt. Danny's fingers twitched into the bedding as another small bit of a memory came forth. A remembrance of briefly spoken words in Steve's demanding voice.

 _".. no office. I mean it .. let Chin and Kono handle this."_ The memory made him immediately uncomfortable as he studied Steve's eyes with an expression that was a mix of utter confusion combined with a side dish of surly defiance. Whatever he was doing, it made Steve snort and raise his eyebrows in amusement.

"Yeah Daniel. About _working_ .. what did we talk about?" Even though it wasn't entirely fair yet, Steve couldn't help throwing Danny's own words back at him. The puzzled response was expected so Steve let it all go to smile broadly as he threw a quick look over his shoulder to catch Chin's startled eye. His beaming smile and his next words brought both cousins surging to their feet.

"He's awake."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

While it was short-lived and Danny didn't actually speak, their combined moods were dramatically lifted after he woke. And he had even tried to smile when both Kono and Chin showed up by Steve's side. But knowing that he was confused and not exactly hanging on to every word spoken, each had avoided any details. Only gently reassuring Danny that he'd be fine and that everyone was okay. Steve had also paged the nurse's station and during Danny's brief waking moments both Byrnes and the ICU doctor, Doctor Yates, had returned to individually check and recheck his vitals.

Yates arrived first in the room and had rocked to a sudden halt when he saw the pale, tired eyes struggling so hard to stay open. His blatant look of surprise became sheepish when he saw Steve's " _we told you so_ " look that challenged his earlier advice. But the physician seemed almost annoyed to have Byrnes strolling around the corner and showing such a vested interest in his patient. However, the two were conferring well enough and agreeing on the main point: that Danny's waking was an unexpected but very promising event.

"His blood pressure is still lower than I would like to see. But so far .. everything is coming along nicely." Yates noted as Danny slept on fully oblivious to the people and commotion in the small room.

"What's more important is that his oxygen saturation rate is holding it's own .. he's not out of the woods but this is very good." The relief in Steve's face was especially evident since the longer that held true, the farther removed the potential was for putting Danny on a ventilator.

Byrnes folded his arms in agreement and the entire team chuckled at his next statement. "He needs to stay quiet. Especially after the earlier trauma from our first introduction. That fall unto itself was very significant and he's only recently been released from my care. Having him back so soon for anything but a standard check-up is not what I anticipated."

His stern reprimand rang true but they knew a little about Byrnes by now and he knew Danny of course. They were learning quickly that the man took personal interest in the satisfactory recovery of all his patients and he detested having his professional opinion discounted or ignored. However, they also understood exactly what he meant and the complications of the chest tube plus the tender condition of Danny's lungs brought a host of new concerns. So they voiced their individual assurances that the Detective would greatly limit any movement, stress and especially, any talking.

It was the first time Doctor Yates had an inkling of the details surrounding their past history and Byrnes' comment made him give pause. "What introduction might that be? I knew he'd been previously injured of course .. I have your recent records as attending .. however, our documents here don't say much about the actual accident.

Byrnes' sly grin stopped Yates' rambling as he motioned towards their sleeping patient and the question now allowed him time to explain why the doctor had infiltrated the sanctity of Yates' ICU. "Detective Williams is the officer directly responsible for saving the young woman and her child in the recent Honolulu arson attempt. The arsonist was apprehended as well. But during that rescue, he suffered a harrowing fall when a stairwell collapsed. He'd been under my care and was very recently released. I think you can appreciate my interest now in _your_ new patient."

The words left unsaid were clear " _he was mine first_ " and Yates allowed it with a distinct professional grace now tinged with admiration. "I had no idea actually." The two physicians studied each other for a moment and Yates smiled anew in total understanding.

However, they missed the pointed stare that Chin gave Steve because no one outside their group, HPD or a small select group of civilians yet knew that another arsonist was on the loose. With the death of Walter Sandt, their new subject was now also classified as a murderer who additionally kidnapped and then attempted to kill a police officer. But their shared look was interrupted when Yates turned on them to echo Byrnes' words.

" _Very_ quiet." Yates added firmly with additional advice of his own. "He's going to experience fatigue and continued confusion over the next few days. Both of which are to be expected. He needs complete quiet and rest."

"But it is good, right?" The question came again from Kono who was standing nearest the bed and needed the reassurance. Danny had looked at her with the most puzzling of expressions. It was the one time during his few waking minutes that he had tried to speak. But his deeper intake of air had made him wince and then wheeze frighteningly under the oxygen mask. Alarmed that he wouldn't be able to catch his breath or that he would hurt the chest tube, all three team mates had hushed him with Kono hurriedly whispering that she was okay and that he was fine too. Only then had his pained frown faded at whatever memory had triggered the small episode. So she smiled now when both doctors nodded in unison and then almost laughed when Byrnes changed gears to stare at Steve.

"You too. The _rest_ part .. of what he just said." The face Steve made at the doctor caused the man to purse his lips and raise his eyebrows in defiance. He pointed towards the ceiling as he stepped towards the I.V. pole that Steve was attached to.

"One floor up, room 220. Good night Commander."

"I'll take him." Chin offered as Byrnes pulled the pole closer and forced Steve to take it in his left hand. The dance between the two men seemed almost perfected and it made Doctor Yates snort in amusement.

"Oh no." Byrnes waved his hand warningly in the air in front of his colleague when heard the softly chuffed laugh. And as he and Chin ushered Steve out of the room, Byrnes slapped the ICU physician amiably on the back. "Don't laugh. Get used to it my friend!"

_**~ to be continued ~** _

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Notes: two issues with the later posting from me. I'm on a long business trip in D.C. and the muses were equally non-productive. My thanks to everyone reading, reviewing and enjoying this journey.

**Chapter 17**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny's second waking was similar to the first in that it was a very slow coming around process and he remained equally tired and confused. The sun was just rising as his eyes partially opened and Chin was already there, poised with ice chips or water. Whichever Danny might prefer or be able to cope with. With so many hours passing, Chin had become watchful towards dawn for the signs Steve described that clued him in on Danny's return to awareness. And as before, the almost miniscule flexing of Danny's fingers and a slight uncomfortable change in expression had the man quickly leaning over the bed.

"We can move the oxygen mask just for a minute if you need a drink?" Chin asked hopefully because Danny's eyes were just as murky. Chin wound up making the decision by choosing the ice chips before removing the mask and was relieved at Danny's obvious appreciation over the cool melting liquid.

But as he saw the lips tighten and the determined swallow, Chin was repositioning the mask and sternly warning him about moving. "Seriously, brah. You got here less than twenty-four hours ago. Try not to talk or move too much. Not just yet anyway. You have a serious lung injury and they put in a chest tube to help you breathe. So the only thing the doctors want you to do is breathe nice and slow."

And Danny was already being cautious by necessity. The slightest movement or change in his breathing badly panged in his chest and then rattled his rib. He listened quietly to Chin and tried to make sense of the happily worried face. He realized after a minute that Chin was waiting for some type of response indicating that he understood about doing very little or frankly, nothing at all. So Danny's short nod finally made Chin smile.

"Okay, good. So you just let us do all the talking and rest." Chin sighed as he ran a hand over his face. He looked tired and much too stressed as he quietly added a few more genuinely relieved words. "It's good to see you awake again, Danny. Do you remember where you are?"

He nodded once more but in fact, Danny had woken many minutes before Chin had first noticed his fingers worrying the blankets. He'd had a dream where Grace had been calling to him in a happy and encouraging voice. _"Find me Danno!"_

He had gladly followed her lilting laughter in his dream, running through the dark effortlessly and directly towards a shining glimmer of light where her voice became even louder. In his dream, the light was coming from behind a door and when he opened it wide, it swung open to reveal a bright sunny expanse of beach with the ocean far in the distance. But Grace was standing there waiting for him and laughing out loud.

 _"I knew you could do it!"_ She held her arms up to him and he woke just as he swung her up happily into his arms.

So Danny opened his eyes slowly as he hung onto the remnants of the dream. He woke happily with Grace on his mind and in easy recognition of his hospital room from the night before. And this time, Chin was standing over him with a warm welcoming smile and something to moisten a much too dry mouth and throat. Chin's eyes were full of relief that he'd had again been able to wake up, though it was clear that Danny's mind was still just a bit weedy and sluggish. Turning his head, he spied Kono sleeping on the larger corner chair; the same chair that Steve had been in when the nurse dressed the wound in his wrist. But as he looked around, he realized that Steve wasn't in the room.

Chin moved the mask again so he could once again spoon up a small amount of ice chips for Danny, however it only allowed him to immediately break the first rule about not talking. The fact that Steve wasn't there sparked worries about his injured hand and problematic fever.

"Steve? How .. hand?" Danny automatically whispered and then winced as his chest pulled on the softly worded exhale. A shallow cough followed the wince causing him to half-clench fingers still badly swollen from the sting of pain in his chest. Closing his eyes and heaving a sigh, Chin slammed the plastic spoon back into the small cup of ice and methodically replaced the oxygen mask.

"He's fine Danny. It's just about dawn and he's still in his own room getting treatment. He's waiting for Doctor Byrnes to either read him the riot act or maybe release him. Or even both. He won't be here until that happens first and right now ... it's very early." He glared as he used the spoon to slam around the ice chips that remained in the small cup. Worried for a moment, Chin was near to paging the nurse's station, but Danny was back under control just a few seconds later as the worst of the pain eased.

"You however, have the distinct luxury of receiving only the riot act." Danny's eyebrows raised noticeably in surprise as the ice chips in the cup were stirred and then frantically chopped into an icy slurry mix. His eyes slid from the cup to Chin's angry face as he enunciated each word.

"Do. Not. Speak." Doctor Yates had essentially frightened them all by explaining that the chest tube could be problematic and it was the reason a battery of nurses and doctors checked the apparatus night and day. And Yates' explanation was delivered in his typical near techno-babble, no holds barred, and much too succinct diatribe.

_"So while not seeing bubbles in the air trap is what we strive for, that fact has to be checked and rechecked. And it's possible, especially so early in the Detective's healing process, that the chest tube could leak and then suck in air around itself. If that should happen, it means that the tube isn't working, and ought to be pulled and replaced immediately. It could be significant enough to create a second pneumothorax and he will go again into respiratory distress."_

Chin's face was a mixed bag of annoyance and concern as he recalled the doctor's cold warnings. But Danny breathed out under the mask. He failed at hiding the quirky grin under the muffled cough. "Okay. Got it."

Already disobeying and maybe even a bit tired of feeling like an invalid yet again laid up in the hospital, he was completely unable to stop himself. His right hand flailed uselessly just a few inches off the bed as he coughed and wheezed out even a more, few added words.

"Sorry ... Chin. Not ... talking." The cringing wince was unmistakable as Danny closed his eyes for a minute to ride out the increasing level of sharp ache in his chest. He was still partially grinning though when he finally opened his eyes to squint up in apology. However, Chin hadn't lost his aggravated expression and the cup of ice was now gone. Placed with a small plunk on the side table, Chin folded his arms across his chest.

" **Shhh**." The hushed sound that came out of the angry man was loud and threatening. It made Kono twitch in her sleep, mumble a quiet complaint, and then roll over into another pretzel-like position on the hospital chair.

"You done now?" Chin hissed sarcastically and watched again as Danny tried to stifle the helpless grin. He managed a small thumbs-up sign while Chin merely shook his head in disbelief. And then he studied Danny's face as if deciding what to do next. While it was obvious he was tired, Danny didn't seem like he was going to fall right back to sleep so Chin began to fill him in on what was going on. They also had no idea about what really had happened between the men just prior to the fire and it could provide information about Jack Miles. Especially before he and Kono went back to the office that morning.

"Let me know if you aren't up for this." Chin demanded as he went into his understanding of the fire, how they found Danny and that yes, they all knew Jack Miles was their primary target.

"We'll get him Danny. We were a bit blind-sided by this .. but we _will_ get him. I'll tell you what we _think_ we know… you can nod to let me know if we're on track."

So Danny nodded and sighed, the moisture causing the mask to fog again. Chin's expression was thoughtful about how to best continue, and so he tried to phrase his next questions more as statements in order to limit the interaction.

"I got your voicemail message and had a bad feeling. When I couldn't reach you, Kono and I used the Camaro's GPS to track your location." Chin smiled when Danny grinned at him in approval for using the tracking device. But then Chin tapped the bed firmly to make his point.

"I never should have allowed you to take your car in the first place. And I'm sorry that I did .. this wouldn't have happened." Chin was upset and his voice had softened by the time he reached his apology. "It was a mistake. I'm sorry."

But Danny only sighed and shook his head with a vague toss of his hand that clearly indicated it was fine and he'd do it again. The gesture made Chin briefly look away before simply agreeing to move on.

"Yeah, okay." Chin said half-heartedly. "Anyway ... we know that Miles was Walt's insider all along. And we now know that Walt figured out Miles was the arsonist – his pictures from the Maui fire clearly show Miles in the background. He had no valid reason to be on the Island and flight records have him there barely for an overnight; exactly during the time the fire was set and then extinguished. Other photos from the first site blaze here in Honolulu may also show something. Charlie is trying to clean the images up for us. But is this why Walt called you and obviously why he wanted to give you the media card."

Danny nodded which encouraged Chin to continue. "Miles threatened him that morning .. that threat extended to his wife and family. His tires were slashed in his office parking lot. Walt got scared and then things got massively out of control. We assume that Miles was trailing him to see what he'd do next. He followed him to your meet-up, Walt panicked when he saw Jack, and got himself killed."

Danny smiled at the update, extremely pleased about Five-0's consolidated details and rock solid findings thus far.

"So Danny." Chin changed course, wanting to understand how Danny had gotten so badly injured or how he'd been cuffed in the basement in the first place. And then getting out from the fire-trap was also short of amazing.

"You two had a scuffle .." But Danny was shaking his head _no_ about that part, so Chin at least wanted to clarify how he'd been trapped in the basement.

"Alright .. but hold on ... Miles did trap you in the basement, the inspectors are saying he dragged Walt's body and probably threw him down there too based on the blood trail. Max is finalizing his M.E. reports but his initial opinion is the same. Walter Sandt was killed by a single gunshot wound to the center of his back. He bled out in minutes and there was no evidence of smoke inhalation in his lungs. He died before the fire was set."

Danny couldn't help making a face at the news he already knew was true. Hearing confirming reports only made it more sadly tragic. So he waited as Chin talked on about their key assumptions. "Of course then, Miles set the warehouse on fire."

Danny gave a thumbs up sign before raising his hand and then letting it drop uselessly to the bed. Fumbling for the mask, he awkwardly pushed it off his face so he could talk for a few minutes.

"Danny .." Chin cautioned. But Danny shook his head as he insisted on saying a few words and he wanted the mask off.

"S'okay." He muttered quietly, but he couldn't get Walter Sandt's terrorized eyes out of his head. "Walt tried to run. Miles killed him."

It was Chin's turn to make an unhappy face at the sad truth of it. "And then he got you downstairs and cuffed you to the wall. Fire inspectors are telling me there were two explosions. The first one was major and used a sophisticated accelerant similar to the first Honolulu blazes. The second was obviously Sandt's own car .. oh, the fireman got your Camaro out by the way."

Chin said it almost as a helpful after-thought and then mentally kicked himself as Danny's face went completely blank. The unexpected news had him stopping cold with his mouth gaped open soundlessly. A split second later, he was stuttering out a surprised whisper around small wheezes. "My car? Where's my car? It was nowhere near ... the fire."

Flinching, Chin back-pedaled as he tried to calm Danny's rising alarm. "See, this is another reason I shouldn't have let you drive home, Danny. The Camaro would have been fine."

" _Would_ have been?" Danny whispered harshly as his eyebrows raised even higher.

"No, it _**is** _ fine." Chin quickly amended his words as he made frantic downward motions with both hands in a vain attempt to keep Danny quiet. His eyes were wide and he was holding back soft coughs as he hung onto Chin's every word.

"Really, the car's okay." Totally frustrated, Chin repeated himself louder than intended as he then glanced to Kono who was once again mumbling in her sleep. He lowered his voice immediately as he explained what had happened.

"Both of the cars were in the middle of the warehouse floor. The fireman got your car out .. it's just a little.. _smokey_."

"Smokey." The word was a muffled incredulous squeak and Chin could only shrug helplessly since he actually hadn't seen the Camaro yet. It had been moved to HPD impound for processing and he only knew what Duke said. And that was ... that the car was a bit ... _smokey._

"Yeah, just that. It's in one whole piece. I promise." Danny didn't seem entirely convinced as his right hand flexed in agitation halfway in the bedding, so Chin just kept talking. "But Sandt's car was already ignited and they abandoned the idea of getting it out .. so the gas tank blew. That was the second explosion."

That news made Danny hesitate again, for it explained the second explosion he felt just as he was getting to the exit door in the basement. At that point, Danny nodded, stopped and swallowed hard which was signal enough for Chin to take up the ice chips again. Taking a shallow breath, Danny tried to be efficient with his words and weakly rubbed his chest at the memories.

"Miles pushed .. I fell or slipped.. into something .. happened then." Chin nodded in understanding. It certainly didn't make things any better, but it filled in a few gaps as he went to replace the oxygen mask. But Danny's hand tiredly came up to stop him.

"I couldn't get loose but the cuffs or pipes broke in the first blast." Chin snorted in surprise because it was obvious Danny had been almost frantic to get loose based on the ragged bruises on his swollen wrist. It explained how that one tiny piece of luck had finally worked in Danny's favor.

Danny paused and frowned about what Jack had said on the staircase because it seemed like it could mean something. "Miles apologized .. said he set fires to cleanse. Does it when he hates someone…" But then Danny's voice trailed off as he gave a subtle cough. The noise made Chin scowl unhappily with the mask poised to go once more over his friend's face as Danny reached up with his swollen fingers to stay Chin's wrist.

"Felt bad about Belle and .. me. Apologized." Chin's unhappy and pensive expression didn't change as he absorbed the words. It only made him angry and this time Chin firmly replaced the oxygen mask as he stood back to consider the words Jack had shared about hate.

Chin made a disgusted sound in his throat while running his hands through his hair in frustration. "So let's assume he did setup the guy we have in custody. It means that Jack was using him and savvy enough to lay a strong trail of evidence. So like you and I started, we absolutely need to review all of this again with a fresh eye."

Chin was practically talking to himself now as he mulled over the possibilities. "And if what Jack said is a clue, who does he hate so much on the Islands? Someone in the Union .. or we should check the development companies for commonalities."

But his distracted attitude and distant eyes made Danny realize something else not yet actually voiced.

"He's gone." Danny finished the statement with a small cough followed by a not so discreet yawn that bobbled the oxygen mask.

Chin caught the tail-end of the yawn and smiled, but gave a positive shake of his head. The anger and self-reproach was back two-fold as Chin vented about the lost opportunities.

"Yeah, by the time Fong got what he could off the media card and HPD pulled the files from where Walt works … plenty of time passed. Maybe too much. We figure that Miles is either well underground or even off the Island. It may take time, but like I said before, we will bring him in. And he did have a life here .. we have work to do and the trail isn't cold by a long shot."

His voice was firm, but he huffed a knowing sound as Danny's eyes began to blink rapidly and he made a motion for more water. Taking off the oxygen mask, Chin spooned out more ice and then smoothed the sheets up around Danny's chest.

"Enough .. it's early yet. Go back to sleep. If we're gone when you wake up it's because Kono and I are back at the office. Jack Miles lived and worked in plain sight. There's definitely a lot more that meets the eye than this man being some crazy pyromaniac."

As Danny gave out with a final and much too sloppy thumbs up sign, Chin grinned briefly before sobering. Danny was asleep moments later. But then Chin was being moved aside to stand near the foot of the bed as a nurse came in for her frequent check of the chest tube. Her primary task was to ensure that it was working properly and she smiled her approval as she fussed around the tubing and it's ports. She then ran through a comprehensive evaluation of his vitals and readings from the various monitors.

Evidently satisfied, she whispered a good morning to Chin before silently leaving the room. "Yeah, we will get him." Chin promised before wandering over to the window. Expressionless, he stood there to watch a fiery-orange colored sun pierce the darkness of the distant horizon.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> My apologies for the delay - I've been away on business!

**Chapter 18**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"I don't believe this." Kono muttered to herself. She'd spent the morning investigating Jack Miles down to where he got his hair cut once a month and now, she was completely surprised. The Jack Miles associated to the social security number given to her by his place of employment was not officially tracking back to the Jack Miles they'd become acquainted with over the last many weeks. And the prints pulled off the Camaro disturbingly didn't match either; in fact, what Kono found was just shy of astounding.

When she pulled up the official records on Jack Miles based primarily upon his social security number, she found a man that had been deceased since 1976. The life of the real Jack Miles had been rather pedestrian and ordinary. A life-long truck driver from Minneapolis, he'd passed away from natural causes at the relatively young age of sixty-five. She traced his marriage records to identify his loving wife who was now also deceased, and a daughter whom was still living in Minnesota, but was now fifty-eight years old with a family of her own.

Conversely, the fingerprints were matched to a juvenile delinquent and missing persons based upon police reports from Boston that pre-dated 1980. The grainy photos showed a belligerent, much younger looking version of their current Jack Miles. But the true name associated to the teenager was one Phillip Miles Jacobsen, III, first born son and grandson of his wealthy, much esteemed Bostonian namesakes.

The old police records painted a tattered and troubled past for Phillip. Issues included vandalism and destruction of public property, petty theft and possession of marijuana. The varied acts had first put young Phillip on the criminal map.

However, any last official records about the then teenager were found in the Missing Person's registry where he'd been reported as a runaway just prior to his seventeenth birthday, towards the end of 1977. Now thirty-five years later, Kono was dusting off files long closed as a cold case. A quick further investigation confirmed that the grandfather had passed away, and Phillip's own father was now in his early eighties. It was certainly enough for Kono to be convinced that Phillip Jacobsen, III had slowly transformed himself into the reborn construction worker, Jack Miles. Not only had the youth survived, he'd survived well and had made himself a distinctly new life evidently free from the trapping of his past history, but oddly also from criminal activity … until recently.

Cross-matching the construction worker's bank accounts, medical records, tax returns, and employment records, Kono crafted together a scenario that seemed to support Phillip stealing or buying his new identity sometime in the early to mid-1980's. That timeframe was the first instance the new Jack Miles had resurfaced as a trades-journeyman in Newport News, Virginia where he was first employed as a twenty-something welder on the docks.

"It's like he just materialized from Mars." Kono ran through the data again before taking a self-satisfied step back from her desk. Somewhere in time, someone had stolen the decedents' name and related personal information. It had all in turn, been resold or acquired by Phillip Jacobsen; a man that until recently, had been operating well under the radar for a great many years.

Pulling her files together, she printed some key findings and then saved the rest to a thumb drive, as well as to a shared online folder for the team's reference. Shouting to her cousin who was standing just outside the bull pen, she stuffed the material into a manila file and got ready to leave. "Chin, when are we going?"

He was on the phone, and waved her over as he closed his own laptop and held up one finger for her to wait. Sighing, she sat with a light thump in a chair and reorganized what she had found out about Miles in her head.

Kono's only aggravation was that she didn't have five heads and twenty arms to put into action all of the next steps she and Chin needed to kick-off. First, she was interested in every aspect of Phillip Jacobsen's early family life. Kono felt investigating his troubled youth and identifying the reasons as to why he left home to eventually assume a completely new identity would lead them to understand his current actions. She was working from the past to develop his profile in the future.

Chin however was working Jack's life in reverse. He first confirmed that Jack Miles had been living happily on the Big Island for almost ten years, even marrying a local woman only seven years earlier. Parallel to Kono's tasks, he was then collecting names, addresses of local family members, friends and work acquaintances. He had also begun to track down his prior employment jobs and locations.

He'd gone back to the time just before Jack had moved to the Islands. Using San Diego as a loosely based home of sorts; Jack had often traveled up and down the western seaboard. At times, he'd gone as far north as Alaska evidently solely based upon where any available work took him. But unlike Kono, Chin didn't uncover any malicious or criminal activities related to his Jack Miles persona. Once he'd adapted to his new identity, Jack had stuck to a straight and narrow path. He had seemingly moved away from his checkered youth, and made something of himself.

Based on Chin's findings, they would first speak to Mrs. Trudy Miles, their suspect's wife and the mother of their six year old son, Isaac. On the heels of that, Kono planned to investigate the family, but they also intended to meet with Miles' brotherhood at the local union. And with the man's popularity, they expected to receive a shocked and very likely, defensive cold shoulder.

But both cousins were most upset that Trudy Miles was employed as a pediatric registered nurse at the same hospital where Danny and Steve were recovering.

Ending the call with that very hospital, Chin turned towards the door with Kono immediately following.

"With her seniority, she typically has a standing day shift. But Mrs. Miles took the day off. Her son is sick and she supposedly stayed home to take care of him. Let's see how true that is."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Two days later, they had nothing other than that Jack Miles was still missing and his wife had not yet heard from him. Under further questioning, the general consensus was that Trudy Miles was innocent of any co-conspiracy. She had been completely ignorant, duly shocked and then had steadily grown angry over his deceit after Kono and Chin had reviewed their factual findings of her husband's odd past.

An HPD officer was stationed near their home in an unmarked car and a now distraught Trudy Miles promised to notify them should he contact her. With Isaac over his stomach virus, they advised her to keep her normal schedule. And so, sad and growing increasingly resentful, she returned to her regular day shift at the hospital.

Trudy had in fact been home taking care of a very ill little Isaac that very first day Chin and Kono visited with HPD. The boy had been tucked into the sofa and was quietly watching a DVD when they rang the door bell. Trudy had answered the door innocently and graciously, easily inviting the Five-0 officers in right away where they saw her son's flushed and feverish face.

 _"He has a stomach flu."_ Trudy had explained, and then had turned to her boy _. "But you feel better, right Isaac?"_ They'd smiled at each other and Trudy had invited Chin and Kono to sit in the small kitchen. But her friendly expression had fallen into one of complete confusion as Chin tried to explain the reason for their visit. And it was more than obvious that she had no idea what they were trying to tell her.

So at first adamant and angry about the arson allegations, swearing that they had the wrong person and that didn't know what they were doing, Trudy had finally become tearful and upset. Isaac had become frightened and wandered in to tearfully settle on her lap.

 _"I really have no idea what you're talking about_." Her eyes were glistening with tears as she rocked Isaac.

" _Jack often has short business trips related to a new job, something for the Union or site visit. I think he's still on Maui right now about a reno that's almost complete. He has monthly Union meetings too and the quarterly ones can pull him away for a week. Back to the mainland."_

She said 'reno' instead of 'renovation' without hesitation and though worried, Trudy was at ease and honest. She wasn't hiding anything and it was obvious that Jack even brought his work home based on her natural ease as she explained what she knew about the Union interaction and his job. So she tried to shrug as Isaac rested his head against her shoulder, but they could tell she was fighting her emotions for her son's sake. Kono made an unhappy face at Chin as they agreed silently to leave to avoid any sort of confrontation in front of Isaac who was unhappily rubbing watery eyes. But they needed to speak to her more not only about the cases of arson, but also about Danny and Jack's murder of Walter Sandt plus a host of other things.

 _"We are going to need you to come in for questioning."_ Kono said before they left the small house. " _Can you arrange for a sitter or someone to watch him for a few hours?_ "

Trudy's eyes had grown wide but she had of course agreed, calling her mother in front of them and asking her to come over to help watch her grandson.

Kono had surveyed the open and airy two bedroom ranch during their short conversation. It was neat and orderly, and they could easily see from one end to the other. There was an entire wall devoted to family pictures in the living room. And even though the woman was upset, Kono asked a particular question as she studied two larger family portraits.

" _These are your parent_ _s_ _? And a sister it looks like?"_ Kono asked, while pointing to a picture that seemed to be from a wedding. " _Are_ _there any pictures of Jack's parents or family? I don't think I see any here."_

Trudy had gotten up from the kitchen table with Isaac's limp weight draped in her arms to stand near the wall. She nodded about her family spread across the wall, many of the recent ones including Jack too. But the large majority focused on her own Hawaiian family.

 _"I need to put him to bed."_ She said softly as she shifted Isaac on her shoulder. But looking at Kono, she then explained that Jack had been an only child. His parents had passed away a long time ago.

 _"He never had any pictures or videos. I never thought anything of it. His job has taken him everywhere and he always traveled light before he settled down here."_ Trudy said with a somewhat defensive tone. " _He never really spoke about himself too much though. I only know he's been on his own for a long time and he's a hard worker. He's worked for every dime he has ... he's a very simple man. But he adores Isaac and he's a good husband. We're very happy."_

Tears had filled her eyes again as she ushered them to the front door. By then Isaac was sagging in her arms and looked like he was practically sleeping. " _I still think you're wrong. I know you're wrong. But I'll come in as soon as my mother gets here."_ Trudy murmured quietly as they let themselves out of the house.

Pausing in the doorway, Kono had nodded and then pointed to the HPD vehicle parked out front. An officer was coming up the walk to meet them. " _When your mother gets here, this officer will bring you over_."

But now two days later, Trudy was completely petrified that her husband hadn't in fact phoned or contacted her. Her heart was growing heavier by the minute and she was already out of excuses to tell Isaac about why his father hadn't called to say goodnight or ask how he was feeling. It was the one thing that Jack always did; a simple ritual when he couldn't make it home. He always called after dinner to talk to Isaac and now, two days later ... nothing.

So after meeting with Five-O and HPD, Trudy had her own new demons to work through her mind. Questions that she never had thought to ask put a new light on his general lack of willingness to discuss his past. She honestly knew nothing about his younger years .. not a clue as to where he might have gone to school or where he grew up. She really only knew that he'd been born in Massachusetts and that his parents weren't around anymore. Those things had never bothered her before .. they were just things she never had cared about .. however now, they seemed glaringly important.

At first unbelieving of what she'd been shown and mortified about the death of a reporter, Trudy realized that what she had been told was scarily true. She really didn't know who Jack Miles was.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

And by now, Steve had since been released from the hospital but not cleared for active duty. In fact, Byrnes had released him the very day that Kono and Chin had first visited Mrs. Miles but he'd allowed them to do the bulk of the case work. His orders were very simple and focused on the basic care needed for his well-healing wound. Dutifully applying the compresses at home, Steve could easily flex his fingers with little to no pain. He was doing that in the hallway as a spontaneous, gentle stretching exercise while he waited for Doctor Byrnes to leave Danny's room. Chin and Kono had also called to touch base, and they would be at the hospital within the hour. There was a pleased tone to Kono's voice and Steve was intrigued to find out what she'd briefly mentioned as identifying Miles' possible motives for arson.

In the two days since the cousins had uncovered the treasure trove of information about Jack Miles, aka Phillip Miles Jacobsen, III, they'd still been unable to locate the man and he had made no known attempts to contact his wife. That had more than irked the team, but something had been found; some bit of information that would keep the case moving forward. Checking his watch again, Steve frowned because thirty minutes had already passed with Byrnes still behind closed doors.

In terms of Danny's recovery, there was definitely good news in that Danny's chest tube had finally been removed that morning. Steve was waiting in the hallway because Doctor Yates had finally kicked Danny out of the ICU and Byrnes was now making sure he was settled in his new private room. But it was taking an inordinate amount of time and Steve knew it had to do with a stubborn bleed.

Even though the process was essentially fast, it was stressful and Danny had been given morphine and anti-inflammatory in preparation of the procedure. He was now sporting an occlusive dressing over the site to ensure that the area stayed airtight. Doctor Byrnes had appeared to watch Doctor Yates who had muttered about persistent bleeding as he applied the dressing.

 _"The tube was up against a vein._ " Yates complained as Byrnes leaned over him with a frown. He'd looked to Danny who seemed worried by the doctors' combined attentions, and finally offered him some calming words while he finished the occlusive bandage.

_"This can happen .. it's not a bad sign .. but we'll keep an eye on it and make sure it resolves on its own. There's a slim chance it could be bleeding internally, but I don't believe that's the case."_

However after saying that, the two doctors had called for yet another chest x-ray to make sure his lung was still expanding properly and to confirm that there were no obvious signs to indicate a worse than expected bleeding issue. Results had been favorable and Danny was moved out of the ICU. And Steve was now drilling a hole in the linoleum while Byrnes had his team settling his partner and continue monitoring both his oxygen saturation, breath sounds and the bandaged area. But barring any complications, Danny was due to be released within twenty-four hours.

Steve rocked to a halt as the door to the room finally opened and Byrnes motioned for him to come in. "He's settled and things look fine. I repacked the bandage again on the incision site .. it's a rather stubborn bleed .. but it's finally stopping."

When Steve walked in, Danny seemed to be sleeping and Byrnes offered an explanation. "Morphine. Removing the tube is painful and stressful. The bleeding didn't help so we want to manage any pain as we've been doing. Expect him to sleep on and off for the rest of the day."

Steve could tell a few other things had also changed as Byrnes' team got Danny situated comfortably. And their work made Danny look more like himself. With an appreciative sigh, Steve visibly relaxed. The large bandage on Danny's original head injury had been removed; it was now replaced with a simple taped gauze square. His right wrist only had one small dressing for a still healing large welt, and though the bruising was impressive, much of the swelling had gone down in his fingers.

He watched as Danny's casted arm rested on his chest where it gently rose and fell in time to his sleepy breaths. And most of all, those breaths were slow, even and regular.

Byrnes nodded at Steve's obvious change in demeanor. "Overall, he's generally going to be more comfortable now that the tube is gone."

"Thanks Doc. He looks good." Steve said as he quietly sank into the chair. The doctor smiled before leaving and then a few minutes later both Chin and Kono arrived. Kono was carrying a box that she quietly put on the foot of the bed.

"A few thank you gifts from the Reynolds family." She explained softly. "Annabelle sent it to the office and it came just as we were leaving."

"Presents?" The continued whispered conversation as people came and went from his room had woken Danny from his light nap. And though his eyes were glassy from medication, he was staring at the postal box.

Steve grinned and shook his head. "You hear all the important things, don't you?"

"Sure do." Danny joked back, as he carefully edged up higher in the bed. "So what is all this?" With that, Kono laughed and pulled out a card and two brightly wrapped packages and placed the larger one on Danny's lap. And then he only needed a little help getting the paper off the small box that held a professionally framed photo of Belle, her parents and baby Daniel. The picture was festive and happy, but it was the themed ceramic frame that sparked the most curiosity as Danny took time to read it quietly to himself.

_**"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."** _

He smiled as he went back to studying the picture and ran his fingers over the embellished ceramic Pooh Bear and Eeyore figures which were in each top-hand corners. Steve looked at it over his shoulder, focusing on the happy family just as Danny handed it off to Kono.

"That's really nice." Kono remarked as she studied the portrait and then read the words trimmed around the frame in bright scripted colors. "And it's true too. This totally fits you to a 't'."

She gave Danny a meaningful look as she passed the frame to Chin who quickly read the words and smiled.

"Yeah, yeah it sure is true. This is really nice Danny." Chin agreed as he handed it over to Steve. Danny seemed briefly embarrassed, but mostly pleased as Steve studied his team. He was trying to hide his confusion because it was a nice family portrait, but it was obvious that the three were quite familiar with something else about the gift. And once Chin gave it to him, Steve finally noticed the engraved words and took time to read the full quote.

Danny was smiling widely as Kono handed him the second box. He opened that one too and found an etched glass paperweight with the same A.A. Milne saying. By then, Steve had realized his error and had read the wording around the frame not once but twice. He saw the same on the paperweight and agreed 100 percent to the sage quote, but was secretly at a loss about A.A. Milne.

"These are beautiful." Danny said as he hefted the paperweight in his right hand. "This was really nice of Belle and I'm glad that it worked out for her and her family." And then motioning around the hospital room and his casted arm, he added. "It makes all of this worth it."

Steve was left holding the picture frame in his hands as Danny put the paperweight back in its box for safe-keeping. He smirked up at Steve and tapped the frame. "So, tell me. You haven't said too much .. are you up on your Pooh?"

He immediately narrowed his eyes as Chin chuckled and took a step back. "My what?" Steve asked as he handed Danny the frame.

Danny's eyes were laughing as he rubbed the frame on his lap and pointed to the words marked around it in a colorful arc. His face was incredulous while Steve's own remained confused. "Your _Pooh_. Your Winnie the Pooh, Steven. You know .. Eeyore, Christopher Robbin. Tigger. Piglet."

But Steve's expression was nearly blank as Danny began to outwardly smirk and then he glowered as Kono began to laugh behind her hand.

"No? Why am I not surprised." Chin chuffed a sound as Danny handed the frame back to Steve with a dramatic sigh and pointed to the side table. "Would you mind putting it there for me?"

He watched as Steve made space and positioned the picture for Danny to see from the bed. Still silent and without having said a single word, it was amazingly obvious that Steve was at a loss. "Well, I guess we need to remedy that." Danny said off-handedly when Steve made a disagreeable face and then continued to remain speechless. But Danny couldn't help pushing as he sank back more deeply into the pillows and grinned up.

"Actually, I'm sure Grace has one or two Pooh books in her library that she would be happy to show you. She might even let you borrow them." With that, both cousins burst out laughing as Steve folded his arms in mock annoyance.

"Laugh it up. Go ahead .. I can take it." Steve drawled good naturedly as Danny chimed in with a careful chuckle. His fingers were splayed over his ribs as he tried to keep his laughter to a minimum.

It was funny and none of them had relaxed for days, so Steve sent another silent thank you out to Belle and her family as Danny's stress eased considerably.

But frankly, while he was now slightly interested in the origins of the quote, Steve approved of its tactful use in the gifts sent to his friend. So he stood there shaking his head and rolling his eyes as the three kidded him about being utterly clueless when it came to Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, too.

"Don't hurt yourself there, Danno." With a snort that eventually became a chuckle, Steve watched as Danny bit his lip and then tightened the hold on his hospital gown in a vain attempt to stop laughing.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

**Chapter 19**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Kono got the cell phone call from Trudy Miles while reviewing her findings about Jack's motives with Steve and Chin in the hospital cafeteria. They had left Danny sleeping quietly in his room to grab a quick lunch and discuss the details around the case. She was more than half way done with completing her excited summary of his boarding school expulsions for increasing violent transgressions… all of which were triggered by his mother's untimely death and subsequently aimed at gaining attention from a distracted father who remarried much too soon.

"He had a rough life as a kid." Steve said with some understanding as he reread the mother's accident report. There were some startling similarities to his own teenage years and Steve heaved a sad sigh. But where Phillip/Jack became increasingly troubled, Steve most certainly had not as their family support systems were extremely different.

"He was accused of petty vandalism and then setting fire to the head master's house. After that .. drugs and his father had him lined up for a military academy His response was to take off and his family never located him. As an adult, there's splintered records of him showing up across the States. He held down odd jobs here and there focusing in construction and eventually became a well respected tradesman. He bought a new identity and made something of himself. For all intents and purposes, he essentially walked away from his past life as Phillip. He stayed on the straight and narrow until now … up until what's been going on, our suspect has zero record under his assumed name of Jack Miles."

Steve slapped the cafeteria table in approval. "This is great work Kono. What's the theory then on his motives? And are we closer to finding him?"

She smiled because she was on a roll as she pointed to a few printed documents that she tossed under both Chin's and Steve's receptive fingers. "His father and half-brother are on the Board for Mickman Enterprises. Mickman is the developer that owns or were in partnership of the properties that were torched."

"Vendetta?" Chin muttered to himself. "He wanted to do them in?" Kono nodded in agreement.

"Financially. He wanted to totally ruin them financially where it would hurt the most. And he's almost done it. Their insurance is covering only about one quarter of the losses. The Board is in an uproar and investors are dropping like flies. Jack crossed another line though when he killed Walt and then kidnapped an Officer with intent to kill."

"Yeah. Then there's those things." Chin said in a huff, as he read the summary. Jack Miles' rekindled hatred for his birth family had killed one man and nearly his friend. So while it all was starting to make sense, he was less than impressed with the true reasons behind the man's dangerous actions.

It was then that Kono's cell phone rang. She passed her paperwork to Steve to review as she took Trudy's call. But she was on her feet in seconds in alarm and motioning for them to follow her quickly.

"Where Trudy? Where did you talk to him?" Kono cursed as she slammed her thumb into the elevator button and then ended the call. Steve and Chin were anxiously on alert as they impatiently waited for her explanation.

"Jack's here. He confronted Trudy in the parking lot and they had an argument. She told him that she didn't want to see him anymore." On a brisk jog, they followed her to the stairwell where she was taking steps two at a time.

"He got violent and flashed a gun. But she doesn't think he left the building. She thinks he got in through a side entrance .. he took her employment badge."

Steve growled in anger as he used his longer legs to bypass Kono on the first landing. Jack could use his wife's badge to get around normal security. It could open doors when flashed in front of a door's magnetic lock. It was obvious that more of the full story was still forthcoming, but Danny was in trouble if Jack Miles was in fact in the building and not only in a fury, but also armed.

Moving even faster, Steve bolted up the staircase to the fifth floor and Danny's room. On his heels, Chin and Kono had already pulled their weapons, readying them in just in case.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

He was dozing alone with the television droning softly in the background when Jack walked into the room and carefully closed the door. And he sensed the presence first, so Danny merely shifted in bed with every intention of falling back to the sleep that pulled at him so strongly.

But the shape didn't move. It stood over him, large and looming to take on an almost threatening aura and Danny finally opened his eyes. But still sure it was only one of the team coming back from lunch, it took Danny a few startled minutes to realize what he was actually seeing.

Jack Miles was standing over him fingering a gun while he held the framed picture of Belle's family in his big hand. Unkempt and scruffy, he was reading the inscription as his face clouded in a confusing emotional mix of uncertainty and anger.

Danny's sharp intake of breath followed by a shocked jolt had him clasping his right hand to his bandaged side. But his reaction only made Jack glance down as he carelessly dropped the frame back onto the table.

Seconds later Jack was slapping Danny's hand away from the remote so that he couldn't page the nurse's station. And it was then that he saw Jack had also closed the door to the hospital room.

"It's not what you think." Miles said quietly as he began to stutter. "I wanted to .. I needed to .." He was tossing the buttoned remote in one hand nervously as Danny tried to shift taller in the bed and ready himself for something .. anything the big man might do. But he was at a woeful disadvantage.

He watched as Jack used his sleeve to wipe sweat from his face and then flinched when the remote clattered loudly to the ground. But he was more worried about the sleeve because it was attached to the hand that held the gun. A loaded pistol which the foreman was now so casually waving around the air above Danny's head.

"Jack. You can't be here." Danny's voice sounded coarse in his own ears as he tried to stay calm and read the man's eyes. He was unmistakably sad, badly rumpled with many days worth of bearded growth on this face; but there was also a rising tidal wave of pure anger.

Pulling himself up one-armed in the bed, Danny winced as the bandage pulled badly at the new wound where the chest tube had been placed. Where it had stopped bleeding before, almost immediately again a small red splotch appeared against the white where it grew outwards like an ink blot. The red latched onto Danny's hospital gown as if it were a sponge and he tried to cover it quickly with his right hand.

Danny's breathing had also changed automatically in reaction to the new stress and he was alternating between holding his breath and shallow uncomfortable pants. It strained his side but any true ache was muffled by the morphine he'd already been given that morning. And Danny took some comfort by knowing the rest of his team was in the building. They had waited for Danny to get settled in his new room, assured that he would be resting comfortably especially after the morphine. Fighting a nap from the strong medication, he'd waved them off to go downstairs for lunch.

"Yeah. No." Jack's reply was confusing and Danny grimaced. The man was nervous and out of sorts, constantly glancing from Danny to the closed door. Distant noises in the hospital corridor made him hesitate and then shift on his feet. He was clearly without a plan as he decided what to do or what not to do.

Danny was equally on edge as he watched the man fidget near the foot of the bed. He flinched as Jack tapped the pistol on the raised side rails. The tapping was loud and staccato … metal against metal … as he used it to underscore each blurted word. And it only added to the rising level of stress as a bead of sweat formed on Danny's brow.

"I wanted ( _ **tap**_ ) .. to actually .. ( _ **tap tap**_ ) .. turn myself .. in. ( _ **tap**_ ). To you. Just to you .. to apologize. ( _ **tap tap**_ )" Jack's eyes grew darker as he grew more upset and took a better hold of his weapon. He was sweating and agitated, and completely unwilling to listen to Danny's attempts at conversation.

But Danny tried just as the man moved closer. "Jack .. I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen." The foreman waved the gun effectively shutting Danny's down as he continued his mad rambling. And Danny cringed inwardly as the angry tapping started up again.

"It's too late now. That was before .. that was before I spoke to Trudy. ( _ **tap**_ ) Before I spoke to my wife and she told me that she never wanted to see me again. ( _ **tap tap**_ ) And I can't live without my son. ( _ **tap**_ ). How did you find out about me? ( _ **tap**_ ). Why did you have to tell her?"

Danny wiped his clammy face with his right hand before taking a shallow breath. "Okay, Jack." It was all he could say as Jack surged forward and grabbed him by the front of his hospital gown. And instead of using the side rail, this time Jack punctuated every word by viciously rattling Danny.

"It was only ever about _**them** _.. not Trudy or my son. Just _**them**_! I only wanted to hurt _**them**_!"

Oddly before the pain hit, Danny could smell the stale sweat, smoke and oily filth on the man himself. His eyes focused on the gun that was now aimed at his own head. He realized that Jack's harsh breaths meant that the man was breathing as hard as he was, but for entirely different reasons.

A sharply ragged pain gripped his chest to completely bypass and then overwhelm the relaxing benefits of the morphine drip as Jack physically lifted him off the pillows. Danny's breath caught in his throat as sharp pains flit across his side where the chest tube had been removed earlier that morning. He vaguely registered a hot, warm wetness spreading once more into his hospital gown. And then he couldn't stifle the groan as another pain struck him hard across his twice damaged rib.

As the pain skyrocketed to take his breath away, Danny's vision grayed and alarming spots danced across his vision. But his frantic hand searched the bedding to finally bang into the second gift box. He scrambled hard to knock the top off and to close his fingers around the heavy, smooth glass Pooh paperweight. Screwing his eyes shut and with rapidly fading energy, he heaved his gift straight into the side of the foreman's head.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

They heard the shot just as they slammed the stairwell door open, all three now on a dead run towards Danny's hospital room. A nurse was already there having responded to the extreme change in the heart monitor, but her hand froze on the closed door's handle as the unmistakable sound of a gun being discharged rang out.

"Get away from there!" Steve shouted as he brusquely moved her aside. His own weapon at the ready, Chin moved in to go low as Steve slowly edged the door open with Kono right behind.

Peering carefully around the corner, Chin nearly gagged at the sight before him. There was blood just about everywhere with a tangled dark heap slouched against the far wall and just under the window. As he slid inside, Steve and Kono followed but they all realized it at the same time.

"Get help." Steve demanded of Kono just as Chin shouldered his weapon to check for Jack's pulse. As soon as he touched the body, it slid sideways off the wall into a boneless flop to sprawl on the floor where more blood began to puddle. He grimaced at the gory, self-inflicted gunshot wound which had essentially taken off the right side of the foreman's face.

"He's dead. He killed himself." Chin confirmed as he wrestled the man's gun from his lifeless fingers.

Steve was barely listening as he tried to gently untangle Danny from where he lay twisted in the bedding. Partially on his side, Steve couldn't yet see his face but he could see the blood on the sheets around his chest, waist and even down to his feet. And that spattering that included a great deal of Jack's own blood made the bedding look twice as morbidly tragic. Biting back rising feelings of dread and not yet knowing where each man's blood began or ended, Steve found himself holding his breath in fear of what he'd find.

The heart monitor was a loud screaming flat line of sound and Steve pulled the plug on the machine after finally feeling Danny's pulse with trembling fingers. It was rapid but strong and Steve glanced once towards Chin's worried face with a quick relieved nod. During whatever had happened before Miles had killed himself, the leads had been pulled off the machine to alert the nurse.

"He's unconscious but breathing." Steve muttered as he began to untangle and pull down the bedding to get the worst of the reddened sheets off Danny's unmoving body. He was lying on his casted arm while his other hung limply between the wide bars of the railing. And as Steve knew, at least some of the blood was coming from the torn incision.

Carefully, Steve tucked Danny's good arm away from the railing and motioned for Chin to move to the opposite side of the bed. "Chin help me get the rails down. We need to get him on his back."

The two men lowered the sides of the railing and then gently eased Danny over. Even unconscious, pain was etched across Danny's pale face and his struggle to breathe immediately worsened. Reacting quickly, Chin lowered the head of the bed to be flat as Danny's shallow breaths became coughed pants broken only by a faint moan.

"Can you hear me? Danny? Danno, hey." Steve's stomach twisted in a knot as he brushed the hair back from where it clung to his clammy face. Not sure if he should, Steve used his fingers to try and stem the blood coming out from under the occlusive bandage. Danny was obviously in pain and having trouble breathing as his chest hitched unnaturally. But there was no reply or response as both he and Chin tried, but completely failed to rouse him.

"What's this?" Chin asked as he worked at opening Danny's fist that was tightly clenched around a hard, round object. His eyes widened in surprise as he slowly pried the fingers off the paperweight that was now cracked and spotted with blood.

"He decked him first?" Steve glanced up with worried eyes as Chin held up the damaged gift. But the two had to get out of the way as Byrnes came in with his team and Kono behind. A nurse quickly replaced Steve's hand with a wad of bandages that she held hard up against the incision site while Byrnes demanded a gurney, a surgical room and a host of other orders.

Amid the chaos, Kono was wide eyed as she simultaneously tried to get a glimpse of Danny and barked instructions to HPD for assistance and the medical examiner. Moments later, Danny was on full oxygen and was being taken away from them again for emergency surgery to close the ruptured vein.

Byrnes face was a tight mask of stress as he pushed them all aside. "I can't tell you anything yet. First things first .. I need to get him downstairs pronto. We have to stop the bleeding and assess his lungs better. Let's hope we aren't back to square one."

Steve turned cold eyes to stare at the foreman's broken body while he tossed the heavy Pooh paperweight in his hands. He didn't quite understand yet why the man would have killed himself, though he sensed it had something to do with the wife. Kono's information was building a crazy story of lies and family intrigue. He also knew that Danny would likely know more, but then again it didn't necessarily matter in the long run. Dead was dead and the man wasn't what he'd seemed to anyone around him.

Ushering his team out and once again closing the door, no one would be allowed in the hospital room until both HPD and Max went through it and processed it as a crime scene. The three wanted to trail Byrnes and his team downstairs but it was Kono who stated the obvious as Steve accepted a towel from a helpful nurse to wipe his hands from blood.

"Trudy. We need to find her .. we need to find out exactly when Jack got here and what went down." The words were barely out of her mouth, when Jack's now widow came running out of the elevator. Their expressions, the closed door, and the blood on both Chin, Steve plus that on the smeared towel told her almost everything she didn't want to know. With a horrified gasp, Trudy stumbled to an agonized halt and then simply fainted in the hallway.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

There was something distinctly depressing and tiresome about waking in a hospital. Danny's nose twitched against the pungent odors of alcohol and so many other strong smells. Even with the oxygen mask on, he could smell the sterile coldness of various chemicals and medicines. He was loathe to open his eyes too as mechanical sounds also drifted in and he came more aware. Even the voices he knew by heart weren't motivating him this time. And once again, it was difficult to breathe as pressure banded across his chest and he grimaced as a twinge of pain flickered in his ribs.

Steve was talking quietly in the background. But there was a shuffled sound to his left and then a soft screech as a chair was pushed back. Light fingers danced across his forehead and then smoothed back his hair. The sweet gesture made him peel reluctant eyes open and he blinked lazily up to see Kono bending over him. The room was darkened but she looked both worried and relieved as their eyes met.

"You need to stop doing this .. you're going to scare me half to death." Kono lightly teased as the same fingers found his right hand. "Do you remember what happened?" The soft background conversation ceased immediately as Steve and Chin appeared at her side. Each looked the same as Kono, with exhausted concern scarcely hidden behind genuinely pleased smiles.

Danny frowned as a memory flashed forward .. a struggle with Jack Miles, a severe pain as he hit the man. Blinking rapidly, Danny lost sight of Kono's face as Jack loomed up shouting about his wife and too much loss. His eyes lost focus just as Kono frantically began to call his name out and Steve went for help. He barely felt her fingers clutching his fisted hand as he went back in time. **_Jack_**. Jack had started to shout at him, holding his head from a bloody gash on his temple, only briefly sagging after Danny slammed the paperweight directly into the foreman's temple.

The shock of Danny's blow stunned the man. Staring at his own bloody fingers, Jack had drastically changed course. Stumbling backwards, he'd raised the gun as Danny lay in front of him, now only barely conscious. He'd started to ramble about how everything had gotten out of control and he couldn't cope. He'd lost Trudy and his son .. they had all taken away his opportunity to talk to her first. To explain things to her first - on his own terms. But things had gone too far. He was confused, scared and completely desolate.

Danny's body quaked uncontrollably as his mind replayed the smooth motion of Jack suddenly raising the gun to his own head. The loud blast in the small room and the unexpected spray of blood .. spatters of red against a white wall .. by then Danny had been close to unconscious, but he'd seen enough through partially opened eyes. He saw and understood what was happening when he heard the final thud as the man fell. And on its heels, the distinct rank, metallic odor of blood.

His breathing altered and his unfocused eyes blinked again in a vain attempt to clear that terrible vision from his mind and the old resonating sounds from his ears. What seemed like many minutes later, Danny took a shuddering breath and realized that Doctor Byrnes had replaced Kono's frightened face. In confusion, Danny blankly stared at the man's soundless mouth until the present came rushing back and he could hear again.

"Detective? Danny? Are you with us now? Can you understand me?" Byrnes was using his penlight to check Danny's pupils and as his patient refocused, had already pulled his stethoscope out to check not only his breath sounds, but his pounding heart rate. Stepping to the side, the doctor injected a sedative into the I.V. line before trying again.

It was then that Danny began to realize that Kono was still anchored to his hand and mumbling his name. Steve and Chin were at the foot of the bed .. Chin motionless, but his partner a frenetic whirlwind of anger and worry.

Byrnes leaned down and placed his hand on Danny's shoulder. This time, he was pleased to see his patient's eyes slide directly to his face. "Detective? You went somewhere on us for a minute .. let's not do that again, shall we? Are you back now .. do you understand me?"

Wearily, Danny nodded as he listened to Byrnes drone on. He could hear Kono's stuttered intake of breath as she rubbed his hand. Steve stopped his pacing to lean on the bed frame, his eyes now not leaving Danny's wan face as he hung onto every word and gauged Danny's reaction for himself.

"We had to operate to close the bleed .. that was the biggest issue. But you're going to be fine. You need to hang onto that, alright? We need to get your heart rate just a bit better, so I gave you something to relax. Your team is here." Danny nodded again as the drugs pulled at him. He looked over to Kono and squeezed her hand in apology when he saw her tear-stained cheeks.

"Go to sleep, Danny." She whispered, as Steve came closer and then palmed both his hands over his face. Danny was finding it harder now to stay awake as he looked first to Chin and then finally to Steve. He was bewildered by their reactions so he weakly tugged at Kono's hand again. But no one knew what to say, so Steve simply sat down in the chair that was nearest to the bed. His hand found Danny's shoulder and he gave it a gentle reassuring rub.

"Kono's right, Danno. Get some rest. Don't think about anything .. leave that to us." The three watched pensively as Danny nodded once, blinked and then his eyes slid shut. Steve closed his own eyes as he rested his forehead against the raised sides of the hospital bed. He heard Kono's sniffle softly and Chin clear his throat in the uncomfortable silence.

Byrnes shook his head as he watched the team. His patient had been more than lucky, though they were all still guessing as to what actually had gone on in the room between the two men. The altercation had ruptured the already irritated vein. But he had managed to control and overcome the potential for severe internal bleeding into the lung cavity. Danny's rib was indeed rebroken but by some miracle, had not pierced his lung. Battered and shaken, and with his attacker dead by his own hands, the detective was indeed lucky to come out of it as he did.

"You should all get some rest." Byrnes dared to note quietly. "He had a flashback .. his last memories resurfaced .. but he's going to sleep. His heart rate and blood pressure are back in normal ranges."

He snorted to mock his own futility when the three seemed to completely ignore him. With another shake of his head, Byrnes turned to leave the room but was stopped by Steve. Getting up from the chair, he gripped the doctor's arm in thanks.

And then Byrnes smiled and saved Steve from having to do more. "I understand it was scary but that episode wasn't anyone's fault. And I promise you, he's going to be fine." With that Byrnes left the room and the three hunkered down for the remainder of the long night.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Note: an Epilogue will follow.

**Chapter 21**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Shortly after Byrnes left, Steve insisted that Chin take a break with Kono, promising that he would do the same upon their return. He had studied her blotchy face while she continued to sadly hold Danny's hand; understanding then why Byrnes had so clearly stated that Danny's frightening episode was no one's personal fault. So before making his demand, he caught Chin's eye and looked meaningfully at the man's cousin. The slight smile confirmed his agreement and he was on his feet as Steve spoke.

"I want both of you to go home, get cleaned up and then come back in a few hours." Kono glanced up with a mutinous look, but Chin was already holding his hand out and gesturing to the door.

His next words got her moving because they made sense and it would be the only way to compromise and help each other. "It's almost midnight. Steve will do the same after we get back. Let's go."

Alone, Steve pulled the Pooh paperweight out of his pocket. The crack ran deeply inside the hard glass and it practically made the quote impossible to read. If a bit more force had been used, Steve didn't doubt that it would have fully broken in half. He sighed as he got to his feet and went to the bathroom to rinse the remnants of dried blood from the etched glass. It was then that he noticed the crack also split the background image of the Pooh bear through its middle. And the new flaws were so bad; the bear's upper body appeared to be floating out of alignment with its bottom legs.

Returning to the bedside chair, he made sure the family photo was where Danny could see it should he awaken again before morning. But sitting down, he mulled the damaged paperweight and then started a search for a replacement on his cell phone. When he found what he wanted, he placed the order and leaned back tiredly in the chair.

Danny was sleeping soundly as Byrnes had promised and might even be released within twenty-four hours as long as he had family to help in the first week or arranged for a home health care nurse. Looking at him now and witnessing the effects of the flash-back, Steve didn't think it was possible and had said as much to the doctor.

"Y _ou know that we can't do much for a broken rib. He can rest as easily at home, as he can here and it will lift his spirits. Sick people stay in hospitals. The surgery to repair the vein was straight-forward and he's stitched and stapled. His lungs are fine and healing nicely. If there are no other complications_.." Steve didn't miss the disgusted look on Byrnes face as he shook his head about the odd host of non-medical complications that could arise. But he continued gallantly.

_"With proper support .. he can recuperate in his own bed in a more pleasant environment .. peacefully. He's over the worst of it .. the flash-back was residual trauma. If anything, a home environment will be better."_

But still on edge, Steve couldn't sit still for long and stood up only to pace briefly in the small room. The case was technically closed now except for finalizing the Mickman Enterprises portion. Because for all that was lobbed against them, no one there or in the Jacobsen family knew about their long lost son, Phillip, now Jack Miles, and his dangerous and quite personal vendetta.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

By the middle of the next afternoon, they were together at HQ finalizing plans and attempting to dot every 'i' and cross every 't'. HPD and Five-0 had pieced together the entire story with help from State-side resources and Kono had additionally contacted Mickman Enterprises. Phillip, Senior at the age of eighty-six was understandably an honorary board member. However his second son, Jack's half-brother, was well involved with the family interests. Kono had enough family names and history to investigate a rather disconcerting chain of events though she was having trouble thinking of Jack as _Phillip_ and was using the names interchangeably.

"Jack or Phillip's mother died in a single car accident when he was ten. She went off the road in a snow storm and the car rolled down an embankment. And the father re-married only a year later. Marshall was born ten months after that to add insult to injury, and that's evidently the beginning of when young Jack started to act out. His earliest truancy report from school records puts him at eleven or twelve years of age. He took his mother's death hard and must have resented the step-mother and then a new baby. So this seems to be the likely family scenario."

Kono paused as she pushed Boston PD faxed police records to the middle of Steve's desk. "It's true that after he ran away, the elder Jacobsen disowned Phillip. We can piece together the timeline of increasing acts of juvenile delinquency, boarding school expulsions and then actual criminal acts. There must have been horrendous fights and arguments. Attempts at counseling and tough love even. Boston PD has an instance of the elder leaving him there overnight for marijuana possession. But after Jack left, his father recanted just a few months later and tried to find Phillip ... going so far as to hire a private investigator .. they filed a missing person's report. But they never found him. Phillip became Jack .. and Jack walked away."

"What a mess. Did he know that they wanted him back?" That one sliver of truth immediately ate at Steve's conscience. But neither Kono nor Chin of course knew. Steve couldn't help repeating himself as he considered what that might have meant to the troubled youth.

"I wonder if he ever _knew_. It could have changed so much for him."

"I agree .. it's almost not fair. But I don't think we'll ever know." Chin confirmed before briefly running through what they'd learned from Trudy and from their massive data collection on the foreman's more immediate activities. "Jack never left the island. He stayed low .. hiding out up in the mountains just ... hiding, thinking and planning. Killing Sandt was never on his immediate agenda, but he was getting closer to his goals and was on a path of no return. Sandt became an unexpected road block."

Chin threw his hands up in the air about his next hypothesis. "And Danny? I can only conjecture that he hesitated because he liked him, respected him for the work he did on the case .. some odd kinship with the construction workers and Union.. for saving Belle? I honestly have no idea. But there was a common thread of Jack feeling like he needed to apologize and turn himself in .. and only to Danny."

Accepting it as one of the things they would never truly understand, Chin completed his summary. "And then according to Trudy, when he showed up this week at the hospital, he was on edge, emotional and flustered. He came to her first to explain what had happened .. why he had to do what he did to get back at the Jacobsens through Mickman Enterprises. But he was remorseful, and mentioned that he came back to also turn himself in."

Steve heaved a sigh and closed his eyes as he envisioned the violent argument in the hospital parking lot. "And she told him off instead. She told him to get out and not to come back. She threw it all back at him including Sandt's murder and she was afraid, so she also denied him Isaac. He didn't expect her to know .. he felt threatened again, and it set him off."

"He broke her car window and flashed the gun. Not only did her rejection set him off, it completely changed his mind about turning himself in. If she left him and took the son .. then why bother? He ruined Mickman, but also his family. For a smart guy, Jack was terribly deluded about Trudy's reactions to the truth." Chin pulled together the key facts from what Trudy said and compared them to what Danny could remember about what the man had shouted in anguish.

"One lie led to another. Each case of arson became more bold and the increasing use of strong accelerants support that theory. He went too far by hurting people he didn't intend to implicate in any way. But he simply couldn't stop and by the time he thought he wanted to .." Chin tapped the Miles' family photo in their files. "He never counted on them knowing as much as they did or the complete rejection."

Kono mumbled sadly as she compared the two pivotal issues in his life and then sighed. "He was rejected twice. Completely and utterly shut down. Bad decision after bad decision."

Going through additional documents, Chin placed together a timeline of events. "Property records show Mickman Enterprises first on the Islands about two years ago to buy up properties. We assume that's when Jack began to make his personal plans. He used his position in the Union to get access to information about the company. He used his skills to set near-perfect fires at the construction sites that would do the most damage. And that would slowly unravel and set the stage for his birth family's financial ruin."

"Okay." Steve said as he absorbed the story. "Life insurance? Anything out of the ordinary there?"

Chin shrugged as he put another document under Steve's nose. "He bought standard insurance about twelve years ago. Nothing special or out of the ordinary. He added Trudy's name before they got married. Average and standard practices."

"So she could collect something?" Kono asked. They all felt sorry for the registered nurse and her young son and hoped the Union or now insurance, might help in their future. But Chin made a face about that as a fact.

"It's fairly obvious that he didn't take out insurance for a large family pay-out and he's over the two-year suicide clause and requirement that most insurance companies would leverage. But, they could still deny based on his fraudulent name change and current felonious activities. I really don't know."

"What else?" Steve asked as he checked his watch. Each wanted to keep the ball rolling on the case, but they also needed to get back to the hospital.

"Just one more thing, boss." Kono said quickly. "Marshall is ten years Jack's junior and you'll be happy to know, arrived in Honolulu last night. I'm told by the Mickman home office that Marshall expects to visit with the insurance company and review each of the fire inspectors' reports for the arson cases. He wants to talk to HPD about their findings. But he last saw his older brother when he was only five or six years old. And in terms of the larger case, he's clueless about Jack, Trudy and the particulars regarding what's been going on here."

"Good." Running his hands through his hair, Steve made a face. At that point they all just wanted to be done with the Jack Miles and the case at large.

"Find him and bring him in or get with HPD. He's about to learn all there is concerning his long-lost, big brother, Phillip and this personal vendetta." Steve made a disgusted sound as he tossed the file folder haphazardly onto his desk. "Then we're done with this once and for all."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"Patience Daniel. You may need it at some point." Not even out of the car yet, Danny was now griping about the wheelchair in the back seat of the Camaro. In fact, he'd been griping about something since Doctor Byrnes had strode in with the release papers that afternoon. Steve was only slightly relieved that he'd gotten over his issue with respect to needing help. But the good doctor had put that complaint to bed by threatening to tear the release papers in half.

" _Family, Detective_." Byrnes had been adamant and then justly angry at his patient's nonchalance over how he would best recuperate. Folding his arms across his chest, his next words shut Danny's mouth mid-objection.

" _Or, prove to me you have a daily health care nurse lined up. If you can't do what I ask, then I'm ripping these up and handing you another gown_."

The next problem unexpectedly reared its head in the hospital parking lot when the attendant rolled Danny up to the Camaro in the wheelchair. There was a barely concealed huffed sound of surprise as Danny walked away from the open passenger door. Almost missing the curb and a dangerous stumble, Steve hissed at him as the attendant gingerly grabbed his good arm for support. " _What are you doing? Get in the car!"_

Instead, Danny walked the length of the vehicle and then peered into the interior inhaling carefully. It was nearly enough to send Steve over his first tiny ledge of patience as he and the attendant tried to sit him down. " _Are you sniffing? Sniffing the car, Danny?"_

The glare he had received said all, as Danny finally allowed himself to be helped into the front seat. " _It's not smokey_."

" _I know that_." Steve said in disgust as the attendant folded the wheelchair and helped him put it in the back seat. " _Thank Chin later. Now just sit there and relax before I re-admit you myself."_

Arriving now at home, Steve parked the car in his driveway. But he leaned sideways into the door to look at his partner across the short distance. The passenger seat was strongly reclined to ease the stressful ache across Danny's chest. He'd driven slowly and carefully, but Danny was undoubtedly uncomfortable which added to his general crankiness. And he knew that his own expression was laced with exasperation as he tried to practice what he was preaching. But if the last two hours were an indication, Steve wasn't sure how he was going to manage both of them in the same house for at least a week, possibly longer if Danny's still healing chest had anything to say about it.

"Again. The wheelchair is _just in case_ .. _just in case_ you get tired or need a break." Going for tolerant, Steve vainly schooled his expression. But he wished he had some of Byrnes' medical ammunition and natural moxie to corral his partner into submission.

The responding tone was full of belligerent distaste with a huge dose of _offended_ Danny. And Steve knew he'd lost as Danny's right hand thumbed a gesture towards the back seat of the Camaro. "Good because it's staying in the car .. or you know what? The trunk. Just put it back there."

"Whatever." Steve muttered as he finally got out of the car and opened the passenger door. When he saw the disagreeable face, his own temper warred at him. But Steve beat it down as he held his hand up in front of Danny before he could move a muscle.

"Bed, lunch, and meds. In that order. Do not pass go. Zero arguments."

The face never changed, but Steve couldn't help smirking at the aggravated mumble as he helped Danny out of the car. "Whatever. Fine."

The doctor had also given them portable oxygen. Another 'just in case' item should Danny become out of breath or uncomfortable. That at least hadn't been a topic of any negative discussion. In fact, the instructions were oddly basic in nature and maybe that was why both men seemed out of sorts. Short walks in the house, no exertion or undo stress were top of the order. And of course, breathing exercises to strengthen his lung.

But then, the four letter word of 'rest' seemed already to be the most problematic. Stunned and then fascinated by Jack's true identity and connection to Mickman, Danny had started to troll for information about the company, his family and their take on Jack Miles. Even though the case was closed, he was still equally concerned for Trudy and Isaac after learning about the altercation in detail, wondering about their future and pending insurance woes. In one short day, the team was finding it difficult to keep his fingers out of the files.

And now in the house, he was searching frantically through his small overnight bag packed for him at the hospital by Kono. "Where is it?" Danny was sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed making a one-handed mess of the clothing that had been packed so neatly; while Steve gathered enough extra pillows to help him stay comfortably wedged upright to aid his breathing.

"I can't find it. Where is it?" There was a breathless, pained aspect to his voice as his aggravation grew and Steve frowned over his shoulder.

"Calm down. Relax and control your breathing. Where's what?" Steve demanded, his voice muffled as he rifled through the top shelf of the closet looking for bedding, pillows and blankets. "What?" He asked again as he turned around, arms full of supplies.

Danny's face was lined with annoyance as he slapped the bag with one hand and then winced as the movement jarred his chest. "The paperweight. It's not here." Steve smiled in understanding as he walked over to the bed to lay down his stacked pile. Once his hands were free, he pointed to the side table nearest the bed.

"Over there .. I accidentally brought it home with me that night." It was a partial white lie, for Steve had brought the originally damaged paperweight home in his pocket once Kono and Chin returned that night after Danny's surgery. But what he now handed to his partner, was the new one he'd found to replace the broken gift. It was completely identical down to every dimension, etched figure and lettered word.

With a flourish, he picked it up and handed it to Danny who hefted it in his hand with relief. "I thought I lost it." Danny muttered to himself. "Thanks, Steve."

With a grin, Steve was already moving on, fixing the extra blankets and piling up the pillows into a deep high-backed nest. "Any time Danno. Get settled in bed and then we'll both have lunch."

He didn't try to hide his growing smile though as he turned to watch Danny rub the smooth and newly untarnished surface. Once again, the simple gift created peace, closed a loop and signified a happy ending that Danny was strongly hanging on to. But the original paperweight from Belle was hidden high in Steve's own bookcase. Shoved far back behind a stack of very dusty, unread tomes. He had tried twice to throw it away in the garbage, but each time had hesitated. Uncertain about why it felt so wrong, he had decided to simply keep the damaged glass Pooh bear paperweight.

Out of sight, but not necessarily out of mind.

_**~ End ~** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will mark this 'complete' after the Epilogue.


	22. EPILOGUE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EPILOGUE

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"Hi Uncle Steve!" Grace stood on his doorstep holding her overnight bag with a beaming face that was full of undisguised excitement. Another paper shopping bag was at her feet; but Steve ignored the Edward's car which was already backing out of the driveway.

"Where's Danno?" And before he could answer, she had scooted under his arm and into the house. Leaving the shopping bag unceremoniously abandoned.

"Out back! Be careful!" He shouted over his shoulder as he retrieved the heavy bag and closed the door. He smiled when he saw the top book's title and immediately knew what Danny had done. 'The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne'.

With no one around, Steve quickly took it out and opened the cover. It was old and battered with crayon doodles and scribbles scrawled on some of the pages. But then he had to laugh when he read the badly printed babyish letters on the inside cover:

**This Book Belongs To:**

" _ **Daniel Williams**_ " and then next to that a " _ **Dan**_ " and followed by a " _ **Danny**_ ". It was as if the young writer was figuring out how to best lay claim to the special book. But under those words now and in bright pink magic marker was " _ **Grace Williams**_ ". Big, bold and perfectly simple. Grace had spelled her name out directly under her father's and then had added a large pink heart.

It was unexpected and Steve's smile softened considerably as he read the names and roughly counted years in his head. The book was worn and ragged; obviously well read by maybe even a few more children. Carefully, he put the book back in the bag to wait for Grace. He could hear the happy laughter outside as he wandered into the kitchen to continue preparing snacks and drinks. He intentionally was loitering inside to give Danny and Grace much needed private time after a too long extended holiday.

In fact, Grace was very late in visiting her father. The Edwards had extended their time State-side and without apology, blaming Stan's newest opportunity as being enough of a necessary reason. And it proved to be a combined blessing as well as a curse. The phone call came from Rachel early on a Saturday morning to change their planned return from the next day, to an entire week later. The news had driven Danny's blood pressure skyrocketing up through the roof. The tension from that call was immediate and unmistakable. The startling change in the room had made Steve freeze in place in the kitchen, steaming cup of coffee in hand as Danny's face completely altered.

" _Another week! Rachel .. you're taking advantage of the situation._ " His voice was loud and he'd anchored his elbow into his side nearest the healing ribs. Within seconds his voice had risen to an alarming level as his face reddened. " _No. No I don't believe you and I don't believe that it's about Stan and this new .. job or whatever it is!_ "

A sharp cough had ended his sentence and he had become tight-mouthed from anger, stress and a glimmer of pain. " _Danno .. take it easy._ " Steve had hissed before striding out of the room to get the portable oxygen. He heard a few more sharp words, followed by more pained coughs and Steve had rushed back to see the failing struggle for composure that already was affecting Danny's breathing. He was thankful that Danny was off the phone seconds later. Though Danny only wound up holding his forehead with his free hand as he wheezed through troubled breaths.

Without ceremony, Steve had turned the tank on and slid the mask over his friend's nose and mouth knowing what had happened. Whether it was intended or not, Steve was angry on Danny's behalf that once again, Rachel had managed to disappoint his expectations and foil his due time with Grace. He sighed when Danny's hand briefly covered his own to take over the mask and hold it in place.

" _I know this doesn't matter and won't make you feel any better, but a week will give you more time to get back on your feet. It's not necessarily a bad thing, Danny. In a few days, you'll be able to enjoy seeing Grace even more."_

His advice was true enough, but Danny hadn't even looked up as he breathed the oxygen in carefully. Eyes closed, he refused to answer and Steve had grudgingly let him be. It had been the awkward start to an almost miserable week of waiting and the many slow steps towards recuperation. It was only overcome by Kono's exciting news about an unexpected meeting between Trudy Miles, Isaac and the Jacobsen's.

Devastated by what he'd learned about the planned arsons and Jack's involvement, Marshall had paled in the Five-0 offices wanting to swear that his brother had disappeared or even had died. In fact, it was true that the Jacobsens' all thought Phillip had met some unfortunate end year's ago. He explained growing up with his older brother's shadow hanging sadly over the family's head. He remembered the day his father had simply stopped looking.

" _He had to stop. Too many years had passed by then and he just gave up_." Marshall had then asked to be left alone to call his father in private, assuring the team that the elder Jacobsen was hearty and hale. _"No. He needs to know. It's his right to know. Don't be surprised if he comes out here now_."

And he had. Phillip Senior had indeed made the long trip to hear the story for himself, attend the funeral, and to do whatever he could for Jack's small family. Sadly, it was clear that he would have welcomed Jack back at any time; but they had all believed there was no way to ever find him. He was tearful while he and Marshall stayed in the background, keeping a respectable distance from both Trudy and Isaac. Until finally, he asked Five-0 for help in gaining an audience with Jack's wife, along with a plea to meet Isaac.

So Kono and Chin had coordinated the meeting. Reluctant and bitter at first, Trudy had eventually agreed and the uncomfortable first encounter had soon become an emotional gathering at her small house with members of Trudy's own family offering mutual support. An hour became a day, followed by two more which became a joyous week. And on one of the final days, Kono had left the family with relief when Trudy relaxed and smiled. Kono tried to leave after Isaac had crawled up into his new Uncle's lap and was showing off a toy dump truck that Santa had brought him for Christmas.

 _"Thank you."_ Trudy said as Kono left the small house. It was now booming with visitors and family members. Her face though still sad, had lightened considerably and Marshall was making Isaac laugh over something silly. The elder Jacobsen sat nearby, warring with a lingering sadness but completely entranced with the beautiful little boy.

Kono had related it all to Danny and Steve; every bit of information beginning with meeting Marshall and ending with the trust fund that the Jacobsens had already begun to setup for Isaac. It was an amazing distraction and an outcome that no one had anticipated. Other than Grace now being home, it was the highlight of the week. And now as Steve heard his name being called by a giggling little girl, he smiled broadly as he hastily pulled the snack tray together.

But when he got outside there was a large wrapped box on the table. Danny had a distinctly pleased look on his face as he pointed to the box.

"Grace has something for you later to remedy your woeful lack of Pooh education." He smirked as Grace giggled. "But you need something special before you begin. Open it."

There was something about Danny's face that almost made Steve leery, but he sat down and pulled the box towards him. Grace crowded his elbow as he began to unwrap it. "We all get our favorites before we read the book. I don't know what Danno picked out for you though."

Grace rolled her eyes when she said that last part while Steve raised an eyebrow about the confusing comment. And Danny was grinning before the orange and striped stuffed tiger made it completely out of the box.

"It's Tigger! I got Eeyore!" Grace screeched as Steve glared at his partner. "It's perfect! You have to hold him while I read!" Danny began to chuckle louder as Steve stared at the toy and then glanced over to Grace in confusion as all the words began to sink in. _Hold him_?

"Daniel." And then his face reddened in embarrassment when Grace began to sing part of a rhyme.

_**"The wonderful thing about tiggers  
Is tiggers are wonderful things"** _

"Yes, Steven?"

But they were interrupted by Grace who was already running back into the house for the shopping bag and precious book. "Now we can start!"

_**~ THE REAL END - END! ~** _


End file.
